Carn
intj, name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Archaic form of cairn. alt-of, archaic
"The Druid Carns are generally fenced round the bottom, by a circle of stones: these Carns had always on their summits, a large flat stone, on which the Druid fires were lighted […]"
- 1 Come on. Australia, informal
"Slipper hooted. But in a moment another wedging peak was upon us. "Carn, kid. No guts, no glory." "I don't think so," I said. "It's the only way home now.""
- 2 An exclamation of support or approval, usually for a sporting (football) team. Australia, informal
"Cries of "Carn the Bunnies" rang out, and the talk was of past glories, present disappointments and future hopes."
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The Druid Carns are generally fenced round the bottom, by a circle of stones: these Carns had always on their summits, a large flat stone, on which the Druid fires were lighted […]"
Etymology
Adapted from the vernacular pronunciation of c'mon, itself an informal variant of come on. The first uses of the term in its extended sense appear to have been amongst Australian rules football fans in Victoria, with the use later spreading to other states and sports.
* As an Irish surname, reduced from McCarn. * As a Cornish surname, variant of Carne. * As a Dutch, German and Jewish surname, variant of Kern.
Related phrases
More for "carn"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.