Definition of "barker" in English

noun

1. Someone or something who barks.

   • My neighbor's dog is a constant barker that keeps me awake at night.

2. A person employed to solicit customers by calling out to passersby, e.g. at a carnival.

   • Bob had amassed a considerable stockpile of double entendres from his days working as a barker for a strip joint.

3. A shelf-talker.

4. (video games) A video game mode where the action is demonstrated to entice someone to play the game.

   • The barker looks action-packed, but actually playing the game is rather dull.

5. (slang, dated) A pistol.

6. The spotted redshank.

noun

1. (historical) A person who removes needed or valuable tree bark, as on a cinnamon or cinchona plantation.

   • The profession of barker has been made largely obsolete by the realization that in most cases saplings can be cultivated far more profitably.

2. (obsolete) A tanner.

   • The profession of barker has been made largely obsolete by the introduction of more effective tanning agents, but it lives on as a surname.

3. A machine used to remove unneeded bark from wood.

   • Run these logs through the barker so we can use them as fence posts.