busker

American  

[buhs-ker] / ˈbʌs kər /

noun

1. someone who performs on the street or in a public place, especially for money.

   Buskers staked out small areas on the boardwalk to serenade the crowd with old-fashioned favorites and newfangled hits.

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Etymology

Origin of busker

busk ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

She typically charges customers $60 for a photo, and even with the Strip steadily growing more expensive—when a snapshot with a busker costs roughly the same as a burger and beer—her financial model has broken.

From Slate • Nov. 18, 2025

At the roadside, a lone busker played the same tune over and over again on an electric piano, as a sea of protesters passed by.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2025

I’m on a low rung of the ladder, just above busker.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

Neely was a 30-year-old local unhoused man known in the area as a busker and Michael Jackson impersonator who moon-walked through the subway.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2023

The next time the busker was interrupted mid-song was only when Phil Donahue put his arm around him and said “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy