barracks

British  

/ ˈbærəks /

plural noun

1. a building or group of buildings used to accommodate military personnel

2. any large building used for housing people, esp temporarily

3. a large and bleak building

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Etymology

Origin of barracks

C17: from French baraque , from Old Catalan barraca hut, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Where dinosaur tracks coexist beside spooky rows of barracks left from a 16th-century monastery, there’s a spectacular view of coastline all the way back to the white spires of Lisbon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

I spoke to sources who have worked in a defense capacity, and they said most likely this was human error—that it’s right next to a barracks and it could have been an error in combat.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

Paroled Union soldiers at Camp Douglas in Chicago set fire to their barracks in protest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

He added: "They may be labouring under a misapprehension because in England, they wouldn't need planning permission to use any barracks for 12 months."

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

The loudspeaker beeped and a voice came on: a woman was missing; the entire barracks would stand on the Lagerstrasse until she was found.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom