circus

noun, often attributive cir·cus \ ˈsər-kəs \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Definition of circus

1 a : 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

2 a : 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

3 a obsolete : circle, ring

b British : a usually circular area at an intersection of streets

—

circusy

play \-kə-sē\ adjective

See circus defined for English-language learners

See circus defined for kids

Examples of circus in a Sentence

He worked for a small circus.
We're going to the circus.

Recent Examples of circus from the Web

Perfume labels, posters advertising circuses, patent medicines, 5-cent cigars, and all manner of things — even ear tags for goats.

— carl nolte, SFChronicle.com, "At the Box SF, previous eras’ castoffs prove valuable today," 8 July 2018
Look out for floats, musical groups, veterans, and special features including the Wawa milk truck, a children’s circus, a giant American flag, and an appearance from Miss Pennsylvania.

— claire wolters, Philly.com, "Philly is celebrating America's birthday all week. Welcome to the party," 27 June 2018
The movie’s viewers, too, are at the circus, and Ray Arnold is there to keep things in check, to remind everyone to hold on to their butts—the sort of noble, necessary work that too often goes ignored.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Ballad of Ray Arnold," 11 June 2018
Still, the circus is a world onto itself, whose free-wheeling denizens are united by their oddities and differences.

— deborah young, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Great Mystical Circus' ('O Grande Circo Mistico'): Film Review | Cannes 2018," 13 May 2018
Sxip Shirey Sxip Shirey specializes in populist music that is often used for circus, dance and theater.

— laura demarco, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Museum of art announces 2018 Solstice performers, ticket info," 2 May 2018
So Slayer concocted a storm of blood on stage and, in doing so, made pyro seem quaint, just as their ’80s thrash metal made ’70s hard rock seem like a circus bear with a ruffled collar.

— andrew dansby, Houston Chronicle, "One more storm of blood from Slayer, on the metals band’s final tour," 13 June 2018
There are real concerns that this summit will be a showdown—or a circus.

— christina cliff, Fortune, "Trump’s First Meeting With Kim May Be Little More Than a Photo Op," 11 June 2018
What about the distractions of the ridiculous WAG circus?

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 3 Weeks to Go - Rooney, Ronaldo and the English Need for a Scapegoat in 2006," 1 June 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of circus

Middle English, from Latin, circle, circus — more at circle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

circus Synonyms

Synonyms

babel, bedlam, madhouse, three-ring circus;

Near Antonyms

arcadia, heaven, paradise, utopia;

calm, lull, peace, respite;

hush, quiet, silence, stillness;

brouhaha, clamor, clatter, din, hubbub, noise;

chaos, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, havoc, hell, mess, muss, shambles;

CIRCUS Defined for English Language Learners

circus

noun

Definition of circus for English Language Learners

: a traveling show that is often performed in a tent and that typically includes trained animals, clowns, acrobats, etc.
: a situation or event that is very busy, lively, and confusing and that attracts a lot of attention
: a circular area where several streets meet