sideshow

noun

side·​show ˈsīd-ˌshō 

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

Jackson served a seven-year prison term for the October 2009 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old man during a sideshow in East Oakland. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026

That is why a growing body of work now treats blockade, quarantine and graduated coercion not as sideshows to invasion, but as the more plausible opening chapters of the war. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

So, during Ohtani’s next pitching appearance at Dodger Stadium, be sure to sit back and also enjoy the sideshow. —Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Still, the enforceability debate can sometimes feel like a sideshow. —Catherine Thorbecke, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sideshow

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

sideshow

noun

side·​show -ˌshō 

: a small show off to the side offered in addition to a main show (as of a circus)