busking

American  

[buhs-king] / bʌs kɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or practice of entertaining by dancing, singing, juggling, etc., on the street or in a public place.

   When I lived and studied in London for a year and a half, I brought my guitar along and did some busking in the streets.

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adjective

1. engaged in this kind of public entertainment.

   My interviewee was late meeting me in the square, so while waiting I struck up a conversation with a busking musician.

Etymology

Origin of busking

First recorded in 1770–80; busk ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; busk ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

From the musicians busking along Venice Beach to the intimate shows at Winston House, music is part of the fabric of Venice.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025

In the centre of Vladivostok I stop to listen to a band busking on a pedestrian street.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

Such large venues are a drastic change of scenery for the 31-year-old singer, who began his musical career busking in Medellín buses and streets, and was once dubbed “El Cantante Del Ghetto.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2025

Jimmy Fallon went busking in the subway with the Grammy-winning punk trio Green Day for Thursday’s “Tonight Show.”

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2024

The next day, right when I begin to consider a career in busking or garbage collecting, two thick envelopes arrive in the mail: one from NYU and the other from DePaul University.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez