carny

noun

car·​ny ˈkär-nē How to pronounce carny (audio)
variants or carney or carnie
plural carnies or carneys
often attributive
1
2
: a person who works with a carnival

Examples of carny 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.
The carny’s clockwork arrival honored an event even kids as small as Pontiac knew. Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024 The rock-and-roll manager proper, or improper, really begins with Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, the former carny with the omnipresent cigar, nodding, winking, and fanning his latest flame into a global conflagration. Andrew O’Hagan, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024 McGee’s Southern voice is boyish and boisterous as befits the carny atmosphere of the minors and his own youthful excitement at playing a part behind the scenes at a storied ballpark. Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 25 May 2023 The carny can use a hidden switch to force the balls to bounce out of the basket. WIRED, 23 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for carny 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1933, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carny was circa 1933

Dictionary Entries Near carny

Cite this Entry

“Carny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carny. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

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