barnstorm

[ bahrn-stawrm ]

/ ˈbɑrnˌstɔrm /

verb (used without object)

to conduct a campaign or speaking tour in rural areas by making brief stops in many small towns.

Theater. to tour small towns to stage theatrical performances.

(of a pilot) to give exhibitions of stunt flying, participate in airplane races, etc., in the course of touring country towns and rural areas.

(of a professional athletic team) to tour an area playing exhibition games after the regular season.

verb (used with object)

to tour (various places) as a barnstormer.

RELATED WORDS

canvass, travel, campaign, troupe

Nearby words

barney, barnlot, barnsley, barnstable, barnstaple, barnstorm, barnum, barnum, phineas t., barnwood, barnyard, barnyard golf

Origin of barnstorm

First recorded in 1880–85; barn¹ + storm

Related forms

barn·storm·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barnstorming

Back then, when partners of stars melted into the background, it was a barnstorming stealing of the show.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress|Tim Teeman|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After such a barnstorming stage debut, and while “my heart is in theater,” screen acting intrigues him.
The Brit Who Stormed Broadway|Tim Teeman|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not long after that, during a barnstorming tour of the country, he suffers the fate of all martyrs.
American Dreams: How Bush Shaped Our Reading of Roth’s ‘The Plot Against America’|Nathaniel Rich|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the barnstorming tour moves across America, Walker also seems to become increasingly fixated on Cuba.
The Man Oswald First Tried to Kill Before JFK|Bill Minutaglio, Steven L. Davis|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He spent the last two years barnstorming around the country on behalf of Mitt Romney.
In New Jersey, Barbara Buono Is the Last Democrat Standing|David Freedlander|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I had heard of but had never known what "barnstorming" meant before.
Nat Goodwin's Book|Nat C. Goodwin
Usually though, it only ends in talk, and the teams make a barnstorming trip to San Francisco or to Cuba.
Baseball Joe Around the World|Lester Chadwick

British Dictionary definitions for barnstorming

barnstorm

/ (ˈbɑːnˌstɔːm) /

verb (intr)

to tour rural districts putting on shows, esp theatrical, athletic, or acrobatic shows

mainly US and Canadian to tour rural districts making speeches in a political campaign

Derived Forms

barnstormer, nounbarnstorming, noun, adjective

Word Origin for barnstorm

C19: from barn 1 + storm (vb); from the performances often being in barns

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012