barrack
1 Americannoun
-
a building or group of buildings for lodging soldiers, especially in garrison.
-
any large, plain building in which many people are lodged.
verb (used with or without object)
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to criticize loudly or shout against (a player, team, speaker, etc); jeer
-
to shout support (for)
verb
Other Word Forms
- barracker noun
- barracking noun
Etymology
Origin of barrack1
1680–90; < French baraque, Middle French < Catalan barraca hut, of obscure origin
Origin of barrack2
1885–90; originally Australian English, perhaps < N Ireland dialect barrack to brag
Explanation
A barrack is a building where military personnel live. It’s usually used in the plural, as barracks. It’s also a verb — when soldiers lodge in barracks, they barrack there. Barrack comes from the Spanish barraca for "soldier's tent." Now it’s more than a tent. Barracks are the buildings where soldiers, commanders, and medical staff lodge. Many barracks are temporary buildings that can be taken down quickly and reassembled elsewhere. Other barracks are more sturdy and permanent, but the people who barrack (stay there) are always people in the military.
Vocabulary lists containing barrack
"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Chains
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Fallen Angels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New York fans love to back their teams and barrack the opposition.
From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025
"The source of the loud noise heard today was the destruction of old ammunition by the army in a barrack located 30 km west of Kerman," the governor said.
From Reuters • Feb. 15, 2023
“I know how the fire of a crematorium chimney casts flickering light on a barrack wall,” he wrote in 1984 for the Berman Archive at Stanford University, which documents American Jewish communities.
From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2023
The fire swept through a military barrack in the village of Azat, in Gegharkunik province, eastern Armenia.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2023
We were forbidden to go out at night, so instead of the camp latrines we had to use a barrel in the barrack if we had to go to the bathroom.
From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
