ENGLISH
REFERENCE

carney

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈkɑɹni// UK //kˈɑːni// car·ney

n. a person who works at a traveling fair or carnival. You use this word to describe someone who moves from town to town setting up rides or games.

n. a person employed by a carnival or traveling fair, typically involved in operating rides, games, or sideshows. Often carries a connotation of a transient or outsider lifestyle.


SIMPLE

The carney showed us how to win the giant teddy bear.

CONTEXTUAL

After the fair closed for the night, the carneys gathered around a small fire to share stories of previous summers.

COMPLEX

Growing up as a carney meant a life of constant motion, where the rhythm of the seasons was dictated by the opening and closing of county fairs across the Midwest.

Usage

Informal in register; sometimes used pejoratively to imply someone is untrustworthy or transient.

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