cir·cus
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Definition of circus
1a
: a large arena enclosed by tiers of seats on three or all four sides and used especially for sports or spectacles (such as athletic contests, exhibitions of horsemanship, or in ancient times chariot racing)
b
: a public spectacle
2a
: an arena often covered by a tent and used for variety shows usually including feats of physical skill, wild animal acts, and performances by clowns
b
: a circus performance
c
: the physical plant, livestock, and personnel of such a circus
d
: something suggestive of a circus (as in frenzied activity, sensationalism, theatricality, or razzle-dazzle)
a media circus
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Other Words from circus
circusy
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adjective
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adjective
Examples of circus in a Sentence
He worked for a small circus.
We're going to the circus.
Recent Examples on the Web
The circus, organized by Patricia Ohmans and Frogtown Green, will present strategies on how to combat those impacts within a series of tents stationed on a long-vacant lot. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "Sustainability Circus comes to St. Paul’s Frogtown Sept. 7," 16 Aug. 2019 Their goal was to conduct a circus-like tour of Palestinian sites in which international journalists would help them smear Israel as an oppressor. — Jonathan S. Tobin, National Review, "Banning Omar and Tlaib May Help Trump, but It Hurts Israel," 16 Aug. 2019 Many of the questions here during the Bulldogs’ spin through this media circus were about their cross-division rival. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "Kirby Smart and Georgia Determined to Close the Gap on Alabama," 16 July 2019 Or the yard where an elephant from a traveling circus was buried. — Rebecca Sallee | For Al.com, al, "Take a romantic carriage ride in downtown Huntsville," 12 Aug. 2019 Her aptitude for this last pursuit was rooted in her childhood in Bavaria, where her father built the family a miniature circus. — David Netto, Town & Country, "Was This Photo of an Austrian Empress the World's First Paparazzi Photo?," 7 Aug. 2019 The trailer shows a young witch trapped in a cage at a magical circus. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "New 'Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald' Trailer Confirms Voldemort’s Snake Nagini Was a Actually a WITCH," 25 Sep. 2018 The Circus: Down the Road Documentary about a traveling big-top circus. — Los Angeles Times, "L.A. movie openings, Aug. 4-11: ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold,’ ‘The Kitchen’ and more," 4 Aug. 2019 The South is a football circus, after all, and the SEC is its brilliant ringmaster. — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al.com, "‘Welcome to hell’: SEC officiating joins Twitter," 15 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for circus
circus
noun
English Language Learners Definition of circus
: a traveling show that is often performed in a tent and that typically includes trained animals, clowns, acrobats, etc.
informal
: a situation or event that is very busy, lively, and confusing and that attracts a lot of attention
British
: a circular area where several streets meet
See the full definition for circus in the English Language Learners Dictionary
circus
noun
cir·cus
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\
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Kids Definition of circus
: a traveling show that often takes place under a tent and that usually includes acts performed by acrobats, clowns, and trained animals
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