barrack

Everyday

1. Barracks are a large building or group of buildings where soldiers live. tree →
2. (UK, Ireland) To barrack someone is to shout rude or mocking things at them while they are speaking or playing. tree →
3. (Australia, NZ) To barrack for a team is to cheer for and support it. tree →
4. Barracks can also be a simple building where hens and ducks are kept. tree →

In the lessons

In history, soldiers lived in barracks; the plural «barracks» can mean one building or many. At sports matches in Britain, a crowd may barrack a player or referee. In Australia, «Who do you barrack for?» means «Which footy team do you support?».

Examples

• The soldiers marched back to the barracks. tree →
• The army barracks were by the river. tree →
• The crowd barracked the referee. tree →
• Don't barrack the speaker; let him finish. tree →
• (Australia) I barrack for Collingwood. tree →
• The old barracks are now a museum. tree →
• She often came in the company of grand noble guests, to whom she showed "the hens' and ducks' barracks," as she called the little house. tree →

Note

«Barracks» can be singular or plural: «a barracks», «the barracks are». Verb: barracked. Note the two different verb meanings in Britain and Australia.