barnstorm

verb barn·storm \ ˈbärn-ˌstȯrm \

|Updated on: 27 Jul 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

When the country’s first-division league was shut down, taking the players’ paychecks with it, Bradley took the national team on a barnstorming tour of the Middle East.

— kevin baxter, latimes.com, "World Cup Group A: Bob Bradley laid foundation for Egypt's first trip to World Cup in 28 years," 4 June 2018
The growth of the game, its explosion, was aided by the Globetrotters and other barnstorming squads that showcased African-American pioneers like Tatum and Haynes, Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: This Pacers' usher is a "player," too," 23 June 2018
Over two short weeks, former FBI director James Comey has sold more than 600,000 copies of his new book, A Higher Loyalty, barnstormed the interview circuit and appeared frequently in public without a tie.

— michael duffy, Time, "James Comey’s Book A Higher Loyalty Is a Major Break from the Norm," 3 May 2018
About teaming up with ex-Trotters Goose Tatum and Marques Haynes and barnstorming for more than a decade with the Harlem Magicians and Harlem Astronauts.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: This Pacers' usher is a "player," too," 23 June 2018
Since the 19th century, American pols have been barnstorming, making lightning-fast stops around the country – stumping on steroids.

— melissa mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, "So many words to talk about elections," 14 June 2018
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

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

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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

Definition of barnstorm

barnstormer

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Definition of barnstorm for English Language Learners

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