Barnum

[ bahr-nuhm ]

/ ˈbɑr nəm /

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noun

P(hineas) T(aylor), 1810–91, U.S. showman who established a circus in 1871.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby Barnum

Barnsley, Barnstable, Barnstaple, barnstorm, barn swallow, Barnum, Barnum, Phineas T., barnwood, barnyard, barnyard golf, barnyard grass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Barnum in a sentence

Barnum, who retired as executive director in 2018 but continued working under contract through June 2020, said it was not wrong for him to question the Oregon State University study or other academic research.
A Timber Lobbyist Called Our Investigation “Completely Bogus.” We Have the Receipts to Show It’s Not.|by Rob Davis, The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting|March 8, 2021|ProPublica
Barnum and the lobbyists met with school officials and threatened to pull donor funding.
A Timber Lobbyist Called Our Investigation “Completely Bogus.” We Have the Receipts to Show It’s Not.|by Rob Davis, The Oregonian/OregonLive, and Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting|March 8, 2021|ProPublica
In the spring of 1849, Barnum opened a branch museum of his own in Philadelphia, in the Swaime Building, a few blocks from Peale’s Philadelphia Museum.
When Science Was the Best Show in America - Issue 93: Forerunners|Lee Alan Dugatkin|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
Barnum swooped in and bought out the Peale museum in Baltimore as well.
When Science Was the Best Show in America - Issue 93: Forerunners|Lee Alan Dugatkin|November 18, 2020|Nautilus

In the months that followed, Barnum says she has received death threats and had her reputation tarnished.
Early members of ‘Wall of Moms’ reflect on where they went wrong as protests in Portland continue|Brooke Henderson|October 6, 2020|Fortune
And the Absinthe House has a full list: Other famous imbibers include P.T. Barnum, Oscar Wilde, and General Robert E. Lee.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Circus parades often became as large a sight as the performance itself; one Barnum and Bailey parade stretched for three miles.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus|Anthony Paletta|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Acrobat death In 2004, Dessi Espana, a performer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey, fell 35 feet during a performance.
Thrills and Too Many Spills: The Dangers of the Circus|Marina Watts|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kirsch has just completed his three-minute audition for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Clown College.
The Most Depressing Show on Earth: Amongst the Clowns of Newark|Lizzie Crocker|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was an accomplished ski jumper, and for a time, he toured the country with the Barnum Bailey Circus.
Olympians Dish on Their Favorite Spots to Ski & Snowboard|The Daily Beast|October 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the first day of May, Barnum's menagerie came to our town; and Clarence went with his papa to see the animals.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
Hear him tell it, he set Barnum up in business and loaned the Ringling boys their first money.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
Is he recallin' th' happy days at Barnum's befure brutal man sunk an ice pick into him an' dhrove him to th' park?
Mr. Dooley Says|Finley Dunne
Barnum claimed that he was cheated and swindled by this company, robbed of his property and name, and reduced to poverty.
History of the American Clock Business for the Past Sixty Years, and Life of Chauncey Jerome|Chauncey Jerome
That Company failed, and Barnum took the stock as security for endorsing and furnishing them with cash.
History of the American Clock Business for the Past Sixty Years, and Life of Chauncey Jerome|Chauncey Jerome

British Dictionary definitions for Barnum

Barnum

/ (ˈbɑːnəm) /

noun

P (hineas) T (aylor). 1810–91, US showman, who created The Greatest Show on Earth (1871) and, with J. A. Bailey, founded the Barnum and Bailey Circus (1881)

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