1
: a minor show offered in addition to a main exhibition (as of a circus)
2
: an incidental diversion or spectacle
Examples of sideshow in a Sentence
Their disagreement is just a political sideshow when compared to the real issues at hand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Escorts are a sideshow, strategic stock releases are a sideshow.
—
Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The whole organization needs to start living that message, and one of the ways to do that is to turn the page on what’s become a sideshow behind the bench.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
In our ideal world, social media wouldn’t become a sideshow.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
Just before the shooting, fights broke out among numerous people watching a sideshow involving some 20 vehicles, including dirt bikes and ATVs, police initially said.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sideshow
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Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The whole organization needs to start living that message, and one of the ways to do that is to turn the page on what’s become a sideshow behind the bench.
—James Mirtle, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
In our ideal world, social media wouldn’t become a sideshow.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
Just before the shooting, fights broke out among numerous people watching a sideshow involving some 20 vehicles, including dirt bikes and ATVs, police initially said.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sideshow
Cite this Entry
“Sideshow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sideshow. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sideshow
noun
side·show
-ˌshō 
: a small show off to the side offered in addition to a main show (as of a circus)
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