barnstorm

verb barn·storm \ ˈbärn-ˌstȯrm \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of barnstorm

barnstormed; barnstorming; barnstorms

1 : to tour through rural districts staging usually theatrical performances

2 : to travel from place to place making brief stops (as in a political campaign or a promotional tour)

3 : to pilot one's airplane in sightseeing flights with passengers or in exhibition stunts in an unscheduled course especially in rural districts

transitive verb

: to travel across while barnstorming

—

barnstormer

noun

See barnstorm defined for English-language learners

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Examples of barnstorm in a Sentence

He spent the months leading up to the election barnstorming around the country.
The national soccer team barnstormed through the country.

Recent Examples of barnstorm from the Web

The Harris County Flood Control District has begun its barnstorming tour of county watersheds, where engineers will hold some two-dozen meetings to educated the public about the bond and seek suggestions from residents.

— zach despart, Houston Chronicle, "Harris County Commissioners Court to set $2.5 billion flood bond vote," 11 June 2018
With his wife, Indiana, Brinton barnstormed the heartland from Oklahoma to Minnesota in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bringing movies to a wide swath of the Midwest.

— kenneth turan, latimes.com, "Film exhibition advocates are the stars in affectionate documentary 'Saving Brinton'," 8 June 2018
While Villaraigosa is spending the last days of the primary season barnstorming across Southern California — and has Bay Area campaigning scheduled Monday — Cox is headlining only one public event per day.

— joe garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, "Antonio Villaraigosa’s chance to be California governor hinges on Latino vote," 2 June 2018
For months, Vukmir and Nicholson have barnstormed across the state to court party activists.

— bill glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "With a warning and a new campaign theme, Scott Walker to rally GOP convention in Milwaukee," 11 May 2018
Since taking the helm of E.P.A., Mr. Pruitt has barnstormed the country, meeting with farmers, coal miners and local leaders and promising an end to his predecessor’s regulatory approach.

— coral davenport and lisa friedman, New York Times, "In His Haste to Roll Back Rules, Scott Pruitt, E.P.A. Chief, Risks His Agenda," 7 Apr. 2018
Vukmir and Nicholson have been barnstorming across the state trying to reach activists ahead of next month's state party convention.

— bill glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "First pro-Leah Vukmir TV ad airs in Wisconsin U.S. Senate race," 5 Apr. 2018
Kansas basketball seniors Devonté Graham, Svi Mykhailiuk and Clay Young will play a barnstorming tour game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Young’s alma mater, Lansing High School.

— gary bedore, kansascity, "KU barnstorming tour game set for Saturday night at Lansing High | The Kansas City Star," 26 Apr. 2018
Their early polling lead has withered in the face of Blankenship barnstorming the state and spending millions of his money.

— tim loh, Bloomberg.com, "The Ex-Con Coal Baron Running for Senate in West Virginia," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barnstorm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of barnstorm

1883

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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BARNSTORM Defined for English Language Learners

barnstorm

verb

Definition of barnstorm for English Language Learners

: to travel to different places to give speeches, perform shows, etc.

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See words that rhyme with barnstorm Britannica English: Translation of barnstorm for Arabic speakers

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barnstorm

Definition of barnstorm

barnstormer

Examples of barnstorm in a Sentence

Recent Examples of barnstorm from the Web

First Known Use of barnstorm

BARNSTORM Defined for English Language Learners

barnstorm

Definition of barnstorm for English Language Learners

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barnstorm

Definition of barnstorm

barnstormer

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First Known Use of barnstorm

BARNSTORM Defined for English Language Learners

barnstorm

Definition of barnstorm for English Language Learners

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