Barker

How to spell barker

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce barker

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does barker mean?

1. nounA person who stands outside a show, fair, or shop and calls out loudly to attract customers.
2. nounA dog that barks, especially one that barks frequently or loudly.

Barker in a sentence

• The barker outside the circus tent promised a show full of acrobats.

• The terrier next door is a constant barker that keeps everyone awake.

• A fairground barker shouted the ticket prices to passing families.

• Breeders warned that the puppy might grow into a noisy barker.

Where does barker come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word builds on the verb 'bark', which comes from the Old English beorcan, meaning to make the sharp cry of a dog. That native Germanic verb was applied figuratively to people who shout or call out loudly, and by adding the agent suffix '-er' (one who does something) English produced 'barker', literally 'one who barks'. By the seventeenth century the noun had attached itself to the loud-voiced person who stood outside a fairground booth, market stall, or show, bellowing to attract a crowd inside. The same verb 'bark' also sits behind the unrelated-looking phrase 'barking up the wrong tree', and it is worth noting that the tree-covering kind of bark is a completely separate word borrowed from Old Norse. The spelling stays comfortingly regular: the simple verb plus the everyday '-er' ending, with no silent letters or doubled consonants to trip the writer.

How the word is built

• bark (to call out loudly, from Old English beorcan)
• -er (agent suffix: one who does the action)