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carny

[kahr-nee] / ˈkɑr ni /


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.

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The man is rhapsodically shameless—oafishly charismatic, memorably strange-looking—a cynic at heart, and a carny in spirit.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Professional wrestling and carny culture can be great fun.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025

I’m a carny, and I’ve left the tent.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2023

Combining old-fashioned practicality with the shameless hustle of a sideshow carny and driven by a narcissistic thirst for attention, Davis, who patented the body armor in the early 1970s, certainly makes for a timely protagonist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2022

Everyone in carny life knew of the place.

From Charley de Milo by Laurence M. Janifer

His principled defense of free speech shouldn’t preclude him from excluding the cranks and carnies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

His follow-up, “Nightmare Alley,” is a bleak tale of carnies, grifters and a dishonest society that creates a far more despairing portrait of the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2021

It’s the interest in the carnies who make the world go round that makes his work ring true.

From Slate ● Feb. 20, 2020

Not obviously with actors because we're basically shiftless carnies you know.

From Fox News ● Oct. 22, 2019

Far from the concert carnies of Stephansplatz and the kitschy key chains of Mozarthaus Vienna, I was refreshed, sated.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2016




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