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

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

If they are eligible for conscription, and do not have an exemption from service, they can be driven off to the barracks on the spot.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Corporal Lucy Wilde, from the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, was found dead at her barracks in Warminster, Wiltshire, on 5 February.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026

One glance at Betsie’s pallid face and fragile form, and the matron waved her contemptuously back inside the barracks where the elderly and infirm spent the day sewing prison uniforms.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom