Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🎪 Carnival worker 🎉 Showy or flashy 🎠 A traveling fair
carney

carney

3 9.6
A person who works at a carnival running games or rides
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrni/
  • Slang
translation icon : feriante
  • The carney explained the rules of the ring toss game to eager children waiting to play.
  • carney games

Examples

  • The carney skillfully operated the Ferris wheel, ensuring everyone had a safe and fun ride.

  • As the sun set over the fairground, the carney enthusiastically called out to visitors to try their luck at the games.

  • Amusement park - various booths - night 51C - carney games.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

carny
vscarney
  • Slang
9 8.9

A person who works at a fair running games or rides

is an alternative spelling used for the same meaning
carnie
vscarney
  • Slang
3 9.9

A person who works at a fair running rides or game stalls

is the neutral standard form rather than the informal slang

Surface Forms

carney singular
carneys plural

Morphology

carney = carnival (transparent) = carny + carnival

The noun 'carney' is a clipped/colloquial form related to 'carnival' meaning a person associated with a carnival; the relation is straightforward for learners familiar with 'carnival'.

Etymology

Carney is a short form of carnival and became the name for a person who works at a fair, especially someone who runs games or rides. So a carney is a carnival worker who knows how to draw a crowd.