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• barrow
  barrow

  noun

  a wheelbarrow.
• Barrow
  Barrow

  noun

  a seaport in Cumbria, in northwestern England.

barrow

¹ American  

[bar-oh] / ˈbær oʊ /

noun

1. a wheelbarrow.

2. a flat, rectangular frame used for carrying a load, especially such a frame with projecting shafts at each end for handles; handbarrow.

3. British. a pushcart used by street vendors, especially by costermongers.

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barrow ² American  

[bar-oh] / ˈbær oʊ /

noun

1. Archaeology. tumulus.

2. Chiefly British. a hill (sometimes used in combination).

   Trentishoe Barrow in North Devon; Whitbarrow in North Lancashire.

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barrow ³ American  

[bar-oh] / ˈbær oʊ /

noun

1. a castrated male swine.

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Barrow ⁴ American  

[bar-oh] / ˈbær oʊ /

noun

1. Also called Barrow-in-Furness.  a seaport in Cumbria, in northwestern England.

2. Point Barrow, the northern tip of Alaska: the northernmost point of the U.S.

3. (now Utqiagvik) a city in northern Alaska, south of Point Barrow: the site of government and university Arctic research facilities.

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barrow ¹ British  

/ ˈbærəʊ /

noun

1. See wheelbarrow handbarrow

2. Also called: barrowful.  the amount contained in or on a barrow

3. a handcart, typically having two wheels and a canvas roof, used esp by street vendors

4. dialect concern or business (esp in the phrases that's not my barrow , that's just my barrow )

5. dialect suited to one's interests or desires

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Barrow ² British  

/ ˈbærəʊ /

noun

1. a river in SE Ireland, rising in the Slieve Bloom Mountains and flowing south to Waterford Harbour. Length: about 193 km (120 miles)

2. See Barrow-in-Furness Barrow Point

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barrow ³ British  

/ ˈbærəʊ /

noun

1. a heap of earth placed over one or more prehistoric tombs, often surrounded by ditches. Long barrows are elongated Neolithic mounds usually covering stone burial chambers; round barrows are Bronze Age, covering burials or cremations

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barrow ⁴ British  

/ ˈbærəʊ /

noun

1. a castrated pig

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Etymology

Origin of barrow¹

First recorded 1300–50; Middle English bar(e)we, berwe, from unrecorded Old English bearwe; akin to Middle High German bere; see origin at bier, bear ¹

Origin of barrow²

First recorded before 900; Middle English bergh, berg(e), berugh, bargh, Old English beorg, beorh “hill, mound, mountain”; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Dutch, Old High German berg “mountain,” Old Norse bjarg, berg “cliff,” Armenian berdz height, Welsh bera “heap”; akin to Avestan bərəz-, bərəzant-, Sanskrit bṛhánt- high. See borough

Origin of barrow³

First recorded before 1000; Middle English barwe, barowe, baruwe, Old English bearg, bearh, berg; cognate with Old High German barug, German Barch, Old Norse bǫrgr; cf. bore ², whose meaning is close to the semantics of cutting or splitting (referring to castration)

Explanation

A barrow is a one- or two-wheeled cart with handles. When you're raking leaves and moving the piles into the corner of your yard, a barrow will come in handy. Barrow, which these days is mainly used as shorthand for wheelbarrow, is actually the older word, derived from an Old English root meaning "to bear or to carry." Barrows are useful for carrying loads of things, like dirt or leaves or sand, from one place to another. However, when archaeologists talk about barrows, they mean something completely different — a burial mound that marks an ancient grave.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barrow Barrow

They were attempting to determine whether the barrow — originally 41 feet high and 230 feet in diameter — harbored a ship, as scholars had long suspected.

From New York Times ● May 31, 2024

To help his mother, he pushed a barrow of vegetables around town every evening - just as his grandfather had.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2023

While Daniel pushed his barrow, at the other end of the Nigerian social ladder, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice grew increasingly worried about their daughter's health.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2023

One recent night under a freezing drizzle, a man named Zarlialai, 40, leaned against his rusty barrow.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2023

The blade Eilonwy had taken from the barrow was too long for the girl to wear comfortably at her waist, so she had slung it from her shoulder.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

His vice president, Muhammed Jallow, said during a visit to a transmitter substation in the town of Bijilo on Saturday that Barrow has set up a taskforce that is "meeting literally on a daily basis".

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

"When you lie down in the heat and the dark, believe that you are not alone in that darkness," Barrow said, pledging to boost power supplies by next month.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

The current pair were sourced from Whitby's twin town of Barrow in Alaska after a worldwide appeal.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

After Gray pleaded guilty to 55 charges, the hearing moved to the sentencing phase, during which Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm will determine the penalty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The Watch now had garrisons at Icemark, Long Barrow, Sable Hall, Greyguard, and Deep Lake, all badly undermanned, but ten castles still stood empty and abandoned.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin