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road show

road show

1 4.2
A show that travels to different places for people to see
  • noun
  • /roʊd ʃoʊ/
translation icon : espectáculo itinerante
  • the traveling road show

Examples

  • The clown should do a road show.

    Blog text (26)
  • The traveling theater troupe put on a road show that entertained audiences in five different cities last month.

  • This summer, we are excited to host a road show featuring local artists and performers at various parks.

  • The documentary film will have its road show premiere in several major cities, allowing fans to see it before the official release.

Synonyms

roadshow
vsroad show
3 3.8

A traveling show that visits different towns to perform plays or concerts

is the same meaning but written as one word without a space
barnstorming
vsroad show
  • US
6.7

Exciting public performances given in different places, often by pilots or performers

is broader, applying to any traveling exhibition rather than only exciting shows

How Extensive

world tour
18 2.5
road show
1 4.2
show
1.0

Surface Forms

road show singular
road shows plural

Morphology

road + show

The phrase combines 'road' (travel/movement) + 'show' (a staged event), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a show that travels to different places — i.e. a series of presentations. The business-specific nuance (presentations to investors) is a domain narrowing but the core compositional idea of travelling presentations is predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Road show comes from traveling theater groups. These groups took a show 'on the road' by wagon or bus to bring performances to different towns, so the phrase means a performance that travels.