three-ring circus

noun

Definition of three-ring circus

1 : a circus with simultaneous performances in three rings
2 : something wild, confusing, engrossing, or entertaining

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Synonyms for three-ring circus

Synonyms

babel, bedlam, circus, madhouse, scrum [British]

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Examples of three-ring circus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Cal product struggled out of the gate and never quite found his footing in Kyrie Irving’s three-ring circus, failing to build on the impressive growth from his sophomore season. Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Rookie-Scale Extension Watch: Will Pascal Siakam Land a Big Payday?," 15 Aug. 2019 There's no doubt some of Sittenfeld's allies have been disappointed in him for his role in turning City Hall into a three-ring circus, and it's raised questions about his ability to be the city's future top leader. Jason Williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX column: Why P.G. Sittenfeld's donors don't care about text messages and petty squabbles at City Hall," 29 July 2019 And a bit like a three-ring circus, not knowing which group to focus on. Don Sweeney, sacbee, "It's a 'killer whale bonanza' in Monterey Bay — and sightings are breaking records | The Sacramento Bee," 8 May 2018 Every May is a three-ring circus, Carpenter said, and his team is plenty experienced at dealing with the noise and focusing on the mission at hand. Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Danica Patrick on closing career at Indy 500: 'It just feels right'," 7 Mar. 2018 Every May is a three-ring circus, Carpenter said, and his team is plenty experienced at dealing with the noise and focusing on the mission at hand. Jim Ayello, USA TODAY Sports, "Danica Patrick on closing career at Indy 500: 'It just feels right'," 7 Mar. 2018 And actually getting to eat instead of playing fetch with Matchbox cars or putting on a one-parent three-ring circus to entertain a kid who's thisclose to a meltdown. Kim Fusaro, Woman's Day, "Will Elmo Destroy My Toddler's Social Skills?," 14 Feb. 2012 The extraordinary success of the giant three-ring circus gave rise to other forms of exportable American giantism, such as amusement parks, department stores, and shopping malls. Janet M. Davis, Smithsonian, "America’s Big Circus Spectacular Has a Long and Cherished History," 22 Mar. 2017 Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have anyone in the shebeen looking up from their pints, but the IOP has made a real three-ring circus out of its fellowship program this time around. Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Way to Go, Harvard," 14 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'three-ring circus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of three-ring circus

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for three-ring circus

three-ring circus

noun

English Language Learners Definition of three-ring circus

: a circus that has three separate areas where performances occur at the same time
US, informal : a place with a lot of busy and confusing activity