imbonitore
masculine
The English word "barker" can be translated into Italian as imbonitore. If unsure, use imbonitore. Wiktionary also lists buttadentro.
Meaning: person employed to solicit customers by calling out to passersby (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | Note |
|---|---|
| imbonitore | masculine |
| buttadentro | masculine |
A barker is a person employed to solicit customers by calling out to passersby.
Which one should you use?
imbonitore is a term for a person who uses persuasive, often exaggerated or deceptive speech to attract attention or sell something. In contrast, buttadentro is more specific to a person whose job is to aggressively entice people to enter a shop, bar or establishment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of imbonitore is imbonitrice.
Did you know?
- The word buttadentro literally translates to 'throw-inside'. It describes the act of figuratively pushing or throwing a customer into a venue to increase the crowd.
- While imbonitore is used for barkers, the verb imbonire can also mean to coax or flatter someone into doing something they don't want to do, even in a domestic or romantic setting.
- The word imbonitore shares a root with terms for 'sweetening' or 'softening' someone up, suggesting that the barker's goal is to make the customer more malleable.
Examples in context
- L'annunciatore del circo ha reso l'evento ancora più emozionante.The circus barker made the event even more exciting.
- L'imbonitore attirava la gente verso il circo.The barker was attracting people toward the circus.
- L'imbonitore urlava i prezzi della fiera.The barker was shouting the fair prices.
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are walking past a nightclub.
- FrancescoGuarda quell'imbonitore, è proprio rumoroso.Look at that barker, he is really noisy.
- MartinaSì, sta cercando di convincerci a entrare.Yes, he is trying to convince us to go in.
- FrancescoNon mi piace quando sono così aggressivi.I don't like it when they are so aggressive.
- MartinaAndiamo via, non voglio ascoltarlo.Let's go, I don't want to listen to him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “barker” translations and entries imbonitore, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
