as in circus
a place of uproar or confusion
the house has been a three-ring circus ever since the kids got back from summer camp
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Recent Examples of three-ring circus
As real estate agent Greg, Matt Rogers makes for a delightful ringmaster of this three-ring circus.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
The chords and harmonies of Williams' music sound similar to the poppy anthems of that cinematic three-ring circus, and the choreography team of Ashley Wallen and Jenny Griffin reunite with Gracey to contextualize Williams' worldwide hits with new dance numbers.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
The household in the 1970s was routinely described as a three-ring circus filled with rowdy kids, lost pets and haggard servants who often quit in frustration, saying Ethel was difficult to work for.
—Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
Democrats, who slammed the impeachment inquiry as a political stunt, described the Republican conference as a three-ring circus.
—Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Amy B Wang, Jacqueline Alemany, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
The chords and harmonies of Williams' music sound similar to the poppy anthems of that cinematic three-ring circus, and the choreography team of Ashley Wallen and Jenny Griffin reunite with Gracey to contextualize Williams' worldwide hits with new dance numbers.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
The household in the 1970s was routinely described as a three-ring circus filled with rowdy kids, lost pets and haggard servants who often quit in frustration, saying Ethel was difficult to work for.
—Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
Democrats, who slammed the impeachment inquiry as a political stunt, described the Republican conference as a three-ring circus.
—Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Amy B Wang, Jacqueline Alemany, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-ring circus
Noun
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The production combines traditional Broadway dance with circus arts like acrobatics, aerial stunts, and puppetry.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Oct. 2025
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The flan, which comes with a little circus of fruits and creams and cookies, is fine.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hyeseong Kim, getting his first taste of the postseason in a madhouse game, scampered home from third, joining the mass of bodies in pure elation while Kerkering remained frozen, hands on his knees.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Judge pulled his hands inside the pitch and launched a 373-foot line drive off the top of the left field foul pole, turning a three-run deficit into a 6-6 tie and turning Yankee Stadium into a madhouse.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Just as much bedlam erupted here at Weird and Wild World HQ.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
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Their journey to the Comiskey concert was typical of the bedlam that accompanied their performances.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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