To save this word, you'll need to log in.
barn-burn·ing
Definition of barn-burning
chiefly US, informal
: very energetic and impassioned
a barn-burning orator barn-burning performances : prolonged and exciting
… he thought the market would begin a barn-burning rally as the leading world economies showed signs of life.— Robert Hurtado, New York Times, 18 June 1993 Canada sneaked past the United States 69–62 in a barn-burning semi-final that went to double overtime … — Will Swanton, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), 16 Sept. 2008
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on barn-burning
What made you want to look up barn-burning? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
More Confusing Words—Quiz
- The magician
______moved the selected card to the top of the deck.
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
- More Confusing Words—Quiz
How many of these commonly confused words do you know?
Take the quiz - Name that Thing: Toys and Games Edition
It's all fun and games until someone beats your high score.
Take the quiz - Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz - Citation
Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?
Play the game
Share barn-burning
Time Traveler for barn-burning
The first known use of barn-burning was in 1965
See more words from the same year