barnyard

American  

[bahrn-yahrd] / ˈbɑrnˌjɑrd /

noun

• barnyards
  plural

1. Also called barnlot. a yard next to or surrounding a barn.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or typical of a barnyard.

   barnyard noises; simple paintings of barnyard life.

2. indecent; smutty; vulgar.

   His barnyard humor made us all blush.

barnyard British  

/ ˈbɑːnˌjɑːd /

noun

1. a yard adjoining a barn, in which farm animals are kept

2. (modifier) belonging to or characteristic of a barnyard

3. (modifier) crude or earthy

   barnyard humour

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• barnyards
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of barnyard

First recorded in 1505–15; barn ¹ + yard ²

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Explanation

A barnyard is a fenced-in area on a farm, usually next to a barn, which sometimes contains goats, chickens, or other farm animals. You can also call a barnyard a "farmyard." On many farms, animals are moved throughout the day from one area to another — in a barn to be milked, or in a pasture to graze on grass, for example. A barnyard gives farmers a place close to farm buildings where animals can be kept safely. In E.B. White's beloved children's book "Charlotte's Web," Wilbur the pig lives out most of his happy life in a barnyard on a small farm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barnyard barnyards

It’s infused with lighthearted humor — floating farmers and barnyard animals cruise among the stars — lending it a rather relaxed atmosphere for a save-the-world, fast-paced attraction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

Reuters reports that they’re resorting to barnyard language to attack Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

One article said, “A pop-up barnyard would be less inappropriate for the neighborhood.”

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2025

I learned the many shades of stink — from barnyard funk to gym sock to overripe fruit — and how to spot the difference.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2025

The kitchen had been so full of strong cooking smells that no one had remarked upon her barnyard scent, but here, in the spotless surroundings of the Swanburne Apartment, it was impossible to miss.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

At any given moment, there are as many as 12,500 Duroc hogs snorting around the barnyards of Imani Farms, a pig farm in southwestern Ontario.

From New York Times ● Mar. 9, 2022

These reused industrial spaces transformed into throwback barnyards with old farm animals, right in the urban center, seem somehow uniquely Dutch to me, although I know that there are petting zoos in other global cities.

From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2017

For example, when Bouckaert wanted “funky” aromas, such as the smell of barnyards or horse blankets, but without the usual accompanying fruity notes, he tried four of the lab’s strains that showed some promise.

From Nature ● Jul. 25, 2016

Thousands of basketball-obsessed kids, in schoolyards and backyards and barnyards around the country, may be trying a new kind of shot come Tuesday morning.

From Time ● Apr. 8, 2014

When the fields yielded little game, they worked the barnyards and farm gardens.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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