What does "barrow" mean?
A mountain.
Barrow
/ˈbæɹ.əʊ/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A mountain.
- Grammar: barrow is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: burial mound, tumulus, anthill, arch.
- Useful contrasts: breeding sow.
- Usage evidence: One of them bore a lantern, while the other wheeled before him a barrow, laden with crowbar, pickaxe, and spade.
How to use "barrow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "barrow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "barrow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "barrow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "barrow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "barrow" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "burial mound" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "barrow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A mountain. obsolete
- 2 A small vehicle used to carry a load and pulled or pushed by hand. British
"The turmoil went on—no rest, no peace. […] It was nearly eleven o'clock now, and he strolled out again. In the little fair created by the costers' barrows the evening only seemed beginning; and the naphtha flares made one's eyes ache, the men's voices grated harshly, and the girls' faces saddened one."
- 3 A castrated boar.
- 4 A long sleeveless flannel garment for infants.
- 5 a cart for carrying small loads; has handles and one or more wheels wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A hill. British
- 7 A wicker case in which salt is put to drain.
- 8 (archeology) a heap of earth placed over prehistoric tombs wordnet
- 9 A mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves.
"Meronym: dolmen"
- 10 the quantity that a barrow will hold wordnet
- 11 A heap of rubbish, attle, or other such refuse.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 Former name of Utqiagvik, the borough seat of North Slope Borough, Alaska, renamed in 2016. countable, uncountable
- 3 An unincorporated community in Greene County, Illinois. countable, uncountable
- 4 A number of places in England:; A civil parish in Cheshire West and Chester district, Cheshire, which includes the settlements of Great Barrow and Little Barrow. countable, uncountable
- 5 A number of places in England:; A civil parish with a town council in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, which replaced the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness on 1 April 2023. countable, uncountable
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Boddington parish, Tewkesbury district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref SO8824). countable, uncountable
- 7 A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish in Ribble Valley district, Lancashire, previously in Wiswell parish (OS grid ref SD7338). countable, uncountable
- 8 A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish (without a council) in Rutland (OS grid ref SK8915). countable, uncountable
- 9 A number of places in England:; A hamlet and civil parish in Much Wenlock ward, Shropshire (OS grid ref SJ6500). countable, uncountable
- 10 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Charlton Musgrove parish, Somerset, previously in South Somerset district (OS grid ref ST7232). countable, uncountable
- 11 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in North Wootton parish, Somerset, previously in Mendip district (OS grid ref ST5541). countable, uncountable
- 12 A number of places in England:; A hamlet in Wentworth parish, Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire (OS grid ref SK3798). countable, uncountable
- 13 A number of places in England:; A village and civil parish (served by Barrow cum Denham Parish Council) in West Suffolk district, Suffolk, previously in St Edmundsbury district (OS grid ref TL7663). countable, uncountable
- 14 A river in eastern Ireland, which flows from County Laois, via County Kildare, County Kilkenny, County Carlow, County Wexford and County Waterford to Waterford Harbour. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
breeding sow
Example
"One of them bore a lantern, while the other wheeled before him a barrow, laden with crowbar, pickaxe, and spade."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "barrow"?
Common synonyms include: burial mound, tumulus, anthill, arch, barrowful, beehive tomb.
How do you use "barrow" in a sentence?
One of them bore a lantern, while the other wheeled before him a barrow, laden with crowbar, pickaxe, and spade.
How do you pronounce "barrow"?
Pronounced /ˈbæɹ.əʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English berwe, bergh, from Old English beorg (“mountain, hill, mound, barrow, burial place”), from Proto-West Germanic *berg, from Proto-Germanic *bergaz (“hill, mountain”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰos (“hill”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise up, ascend; to be elevated, up high”). Doublet of berg and bergh. Cognates Cognate with Scots burrow (“mound, tumulus, barrow”), North Frisian Bārig, beerch, beeri, beerj, berag, berig, berri, bärj (“mountain”), Saterland Frisian Bierich, Bíerig, Bäirch (“mountain”), West Frisian berch (“mountain”), Cimbrian pèrge (“mountain”), Dutch berg (“mountain”), German Berg (“mountain”), German Low German Barg (“mountain”), Limburgish berg, Bärrech (“hill, mountain”), Luxembourgish Bierg (“mountain”), Mòcheno pèrg (“mountain”), Yiddish באַרג (barg, “mountain”), Danish bjerg (“mountain”), Elfdalian bjärr (“hill, mountain”), Faroese berg, bjarg (“cliff”), bjørg (“cliffs”), Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish berg (“mountain”); also Northern Luri برگ (berg, “mountain”), Polish brzeg (“bank, shore”), Russian бе́рег (béreg, “bank, shore”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English barowe, barwe, barewe, from Old English bearwe (“basket, handbarrow”), from Proto-West Germanic *barwā, *barwijā, from Proto-Germanic *barwǭ, *barwijǭ (“stretcher, bier”) (compare Low German Berwe, Old Norse barar (plural), Middle High German radebere (“wheelbarrow”)), from *beraną (“to bear”). More at bear.
Etymology 3
From Middle English barow, bareȝ, bareh, from Old English bearg, bearh (“boar”), from Proto-West Germanic *barug, *barah, from Proto-Germanic *barugaz, *barahaz. Cognate with Old Frisian barch, Old Saxon barug, Old High German barug (German Borg), Old Norse bǫrgr.
Etymology 4
From Middle English *berwe, *borwe, *bergh (attested in hamberwe and berwham (“horse-collar”)), from Middle English berwen (“to protect”), from Old English beorgan (“to protect”).
Etymology 5
English surname, from placenames derived from Old English bearu (“grove”). The place in Furness is of Celtic origin, from *barros (“promontory, peak”) + Old Norse ey (“island”). The place in Alaska, now known as Utqiagvik, was named after nearby Point Barrow (Nuvuk). In 1826, Point Barrow was named after Sir John Barrow, a British geographer.