barker

1 of 2

noun (1)

bark·​er ˈbär-kər 

: one that barks

especially : a person who advertises by hawking at an entrance to a show

barker

2 of 2

noun (2)

: one that removes or prepares bark

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The lawyer is a carnival barker. —Mike Freeman, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2021

There’s no fast-talking, gavel-touting barker, but the prices speed quickly past the four figures as gamblers huddle around their laptops, poring over their spreadsheets and mathematical models, spitting out price ranges for each team. —Will Yakowicz, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023

Or, like his lawyer said, a moon barker. —Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 17 Jan. 2023

Saylor’s origin story: From the top of his high school class to founding MicroStrategy at age 24 From his early days, Saylor’s been an unusual blend of a deep intellectual and a carnival barker. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2022

Other categories included best supporting napper, best original barker, best original meower, best costume and best leading cuddler. —Brittany Kasko, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2023

Parker saw his job as an elevated version of the carnival barker, the person who ensured Elvis was always in people's hearts and minds. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 June 2022

Jay cannot be summed up with some concise carnival-barker pitch. —New York Times, 19 Oct. 2021

The copywriter is the carnival barker, asking you to step right up and buy a ticket to see the tightrope walker. —John Hall, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1611, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

barker

noun

bark·​er

ˈbär-kər

: a person who stands at the entrance to a show and tries to attract customers by loud fast talk