adj
Meaning 1
insane crazy, loony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, obsolete, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
Barney
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: bäʹni
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbɑːni/
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General-American: bäɹʹni
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General-American: /ˈbɑɹni/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -oɑː(ɹ)ni
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)ni
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CMU ARPABET: B AA1 R N IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
A male given name:
A male given name transferred from the surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 3
A male given name:
A diminutive of the male given names Barnabas, Barnaby, Bernard, or Barnett.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 4
A male given name:
A male given name from Old English.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 5
A surname:
A surname transferred from the given name.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 6
A surname:
A surname from Old English.
A surname from Old English [in turn from placenames] from the place name Barney, Old English "barn/barley island".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 7
A surname:
A surname from Old English.
A surname from Old English [in turn transferred from the given name].
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 8
A placename:
A village in Fulmodeston parish, North Norfolk district, Norfolk, England (OS grid ref TF9932).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 9
A placename:
A place in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Faulkner County, Arkansas.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 10
A placename:
A place in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Brooks County, Georgia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 11
A placename:
A place in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Madison County, Iowa.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 12
A placename:
A place in the United States:
A minor city in Richland County, North Dakota.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
A lark, a romp, some fun.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, obsolete, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
A hoax, a humbug, something that is not genuine, a rigged or unfair sporting contest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, obsolete, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 15
A poor recitation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Qualifier: Harvard University slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
A noisy argument.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, UK, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 17
A minor physical fight.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, UK, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 18
A student at Harvard University.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Boston, US, dialectal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 19
Synonym of blimp (“soundproof cover for a video camera”).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: blimp
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 20
A police officer, usually one who is inferior or overzealous.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, pejorative, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 21
To recite badly; to fail.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Qualifier: Harvard University slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 22
To argue, to quarrel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia, UK
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology unknown. Often incorrectly thought to be Cockney rhyming slang from Barney Rubble (“trouble”, from the character Barney Rubble on The Flintstones), it actually dates back to the 19th century and its origin is unknown.
From either the Old English personal name Bera (genitive singular Beran) or from Old English beren (“growing with barley”) + īeġ (“island”).
From the character Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.
Real reading context