noun — 4 senses
Etymology From barn + burner. In exaggerated use, from the hyperbolic idea of someone burning down a barn to end a rat infestation.
One who burns down a barn.
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Slang Synonym of phosphorus match, a friction match that can be struck anywhere.
Idiomatic A sensationally exciting or successful event or person.
Government, Politics US, Historical, Slang A member of the radical section of the Democratic party in New York, around the middle of the 19th century, which was hostile to extension of slavery, public debts, corporate privileges, etc., and supported Van Buren against Cass for president in 1848.
Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for barnburner and Barnburner.