barnstorm

play

verb barn·storm \ ˈbärn-ˌstȯrm \

Definition of barnstorm

intransitive verb

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

See barnstorm defined for kids

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

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump spent a lot of time currying the favor of the ethanol industry, barnstorming its rural Midwest base and repeatedly expressing his support for biofuels made from corn and soybeans.

— mario parker, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Is Reneging on His Promise to the Midwest, Biofuel Industry Says," 26 July 2017
FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages France's Ligue Un is rapidly emerging as a challenger to the top leagues in Europe, proving itself to be more than a one-team competition after Monaco dethroned PSG with a barnstorming title winning 2016/17 campaign.

— SI.com, "Manchester City Step Up Summer Recruitment by Signing Ex-PSG Player as New French Scout," 24 July 2017
On second thought, since US tennis without her is deathly, maybe Serena could barnstorm the world playing guys.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Would a loss tonight vs. Chicago Fire really hurt FC Cincinnati's MLS chances?," 28 June 2017
Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall dominated Gimeno during their years together on the barnstorming pro tour.

— OregonLive.com, "11 champions who are in the International Tennis Hall of Fame but don't belong there," 27 June 2017
Perriello sought to overcome this advantage by barnstorming Virginia over the weekend, beginning with a blitz of 24 hours of campaigning that started 7 a.m. Friday.

— fenit nirappil, Washington Post, "Virginia gubernatorial candidates make final pitches before Tuesday’s primary," 11 June 2017
In October 2015, the right-hander won two tournament games for the Great Lakes Lightning, a barnstorming women’s team.

— brian murphy, Twin Cities, "Minnesota woman chooses longest road to major leagues: umpiring," 10 June 2017
Subsequent teams have also barnstormed to historical sites around the country.

— Philly.com, "Monarchs celebrate 20 years of education and baseball," 10 June 2017
The result: Democrats, who once worried about the president barnstorming the country to take credit for new jobs and investment, are feeling no pressure to act on an amorphous and easily demonized plan.

— david weigel, chicagotribune.com, "Democrats show little fear from Trump's infrastructure push," 7 June 2017

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

BARNSTORM Defined for English Language Learners

barnstorm

play

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

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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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barnstorm

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barnstormer

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BARNSTORM Defined for English Language Learners

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