Barnum

American

[bahr-nuhm] / ˈbɑr nəm /

noun

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

Barnum British

/ 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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But nineteenth-century America was full of “humbug,” a word used for the types of entertainment popularized by renowned promoter P. T. Barnum.

From Literature

Companies like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey offered elephants, equestrian acts, clowns and contortionists in a huge Big Top that could seat thousands.

From The Wall Street Journal

Barnum is most famous for the circus that still bears his name.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I think we always embrace competition,” Barnum said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beyond consumers, the move would negatively affect JPMorgan’s business and the economy as a whole, Barnum says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023