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

---

Etymology

Origin of barracks

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

Example Sentences

Besides the chapel, they are a trolley station, a wing of barracks and the superintendent’s and governor’s residences.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 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

The improvised prison pens—everything from old army barracks and training camps, barns and fairgrounds, derelict cotton warehouses and tobacco factories—were emptied out.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

“The barracks are gray, Corrie, but we’ll paint them green! Bright, light green, like springtime.”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom