1
as in stadium
a large usually roofless building for sporting events with tiers of seats for spectators
the Roman circus is believed to have held 50,000 spectators in ancient times
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in madhouse
a place of uproar or confusion
with seven kids in the house, it's a circus most of the time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pageant
an elaborate, visually exciting show or event
the media circus that took place outside the courthouse every day of the murder trial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of circus
From the foothills of the Berkshires arises a venerable strain of American madness, the poetry of hokum—the old weird America of medicine shows and travelling circuses and carnivals.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
All three were captured in the wild and spent time in circuses and other zoos before coming to Barcelona.
—Joseph Wilson The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 14 Apr. 2025
State of play: Programming includes outdoor music, theater, circus, dance, poetry and children's programs that aim to spotlight the Bay Area's rich heritage and creativity.
—Shawna Chen, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
The work tells the magical story of Villa Constitución, a town in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, where a strange circus arrives to revolutionize the lives of its inhabitants.
—Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circus
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
All three were captured in the wild and spent time in circuses and other zoos before coming to Barcelona.
—Joseph Wilson The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 14 Apr. 2025
State of play: Programming includes outdoor music, theater, circus, dance, poetry and children's programs that aim to spotlight the Bay Area's rich heritage and creativity.
—Shawna Chen, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
The work tells the magical story of Villa Constitución, a town in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, where a strange circus arrives to revolutionize the lives of its inhabitants.
—Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circus
Noun
-
On the first night of her stadium tour in Las Vegas, the singer was disappointed by the videography and wardrobe malfunctions.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2025
-
An asteroid the size of a football stadium will fly safely by Earth on Friday, May 9, 2025, 23 years after its discovery.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
-
But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Hudson will try to win a beauty pageant in her home state of Maine, and will face an uncommon opponent Hudson will be competing in the Miss Maine USA Beauty Pageant later this month after finishing as the first runner-up in last year’s contest.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
-
Enter Heidi Gardner dressed like a pageant queen, but with a gown made entirely from toilet paper.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Great civilizations have left behind statues—and coliseums and pyramids.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Still others have crowded into a coliseum in Cúcuta, the region’s main city, lining up each morning for food and assistance.—
Julie Turkewitz,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
When war comes to their village, the principal is paralyzed saving a displaced child, while the thug takes advantage of the bedlam to gain influence, assisting villagers by providing goods through smuggling and standing up militias to protect their homes.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Beer cups flew throughout SoFi Stadium as Jiménez stood tall at the penalty spot admiring the bedlam.—
Felipe Cardenas,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
However, knowing that this year's exhibit explores the figure of the Black dandy, suit silhouettes like the Zoot suit or those of the Sapeurs originating in the Congo can be expected.—
María Munsuri,
Glamour,
4 May 2025
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Taking into account the restaurants and food stands, interactive and educational exhibits, shops, and the arena itself, rodeo grounds can be as large as the event announcers’ personalities.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
3 May 2025
Noun
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The gala’s coinciding exhibition at the Met was curated by author Monica L. Miller and rooted in her 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.—
Michelle Duncan,
Architectural Digest,
8 May 2025
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This new solo exhibition—her first in the United States, her first as a mother, and her most vulnerable yet—features 13 oil paintings Showering made during this intense period of change.—
Grace Edquist,
Vogue,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Authoritarian power will not be satisfied with one sacrifice or one enemy or one other but will require more, since that power thrives on the spectacle of punishment—the rendition.—
Viet Thanh Nguyễn,
Time,
28 Apr. 2025
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Sometimes death is itself the spectacle, the thing that people are really here to see, as in the double-suicide of Romeo + Juliet.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circus. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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