barrio

noun

bar·​rio ˈbär-ē-ˌō 

ˈber-, 

ˈba-rē- 

plural barrios

1

: a ward, quarter, or district of a city or town in a Spanish-speaking country

2

: a Spanish-speaking quarter or neighborhood in a city or town in the U.S. especially in the Southwest

Examples of barrio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a welcome sign of positive change in the barrio, a new branch of Javier Bonet’s super-cool Sala de Despiece restaurant is imminent. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Similar initiatives are bringing visitors into other parts of Caracas that were long seen as off-limits, including the barrios of Petare and Cota 905. — Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026

Calderon elected to move from the church pulpit to work in the barrios, schools, city hall, and with community agencies. — Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026

Jonás Cuarón arrives for a second time to SXSW on Tuesday with his latest feature film Campeón Gabacho, based on the 2015 Aura Xilonen novel about a young man who crosses the Rio Grande after a harsh reality in Mexico to face a wild life in a New York City Latino barrio. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Arabic barrī of the open country, from barr outside, open country

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for barrio

• lothario

Kids Definition

barrio

noun

bar·​rio ˈbär-ē-ˌō  ˈbar- 

plural barrios

: a neighborhood where most of the people speak Spanish