busker

noun

busk·​er ˈbə-skər How to pronounce busker (audio)
chiefly British
: a person who entertains in a public place for donations
busk intransitive verb

Examples of busker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our man is an accountant skipping out on a day of work who winds up in a busy square and, inexplicably, begins to dance to the beat of a drumming busker. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 June 2025 Its centerpiece is a joyous scene (albeit one laced with poignant undertones) where Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) and a stranger named Janice (Annalise Basso) dance in the street to the drums of a busker (played by a dynamo who goes by the moniker, The Pocket Queen). Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 3 June 2025 Young buskers strum ukuleles outside Brad Walker Pottery on this day, harmonizing to a Jason Mraz song that was popular before they were born. John Archibald, Southern Living, 25 May 2025 Still, the city’s demographic transformation has led many to lament its fading identity as a place of street buskers and a cross-dressing, homeless mayoral candidate. J. David Goodman, New York Times, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for busker

Word History

Etymology

busk, probably from Italian buscare to procure, gain, from Spanish buscar to look for

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of busker was in 1851

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Busker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/busker. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

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