1
as in coliseums
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 madhouses
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 pageants
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 circuses
One of her obituaries celebrated the life of a Bureau of Reclamation photographer who transitioned from a man to a woman and built miniature circuses.
—
Susan Greene, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Susan Greene, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circuses
Noun
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Loren got her start in beauty pageants as a young girl before turning to acting in the 1950s.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
Architectural Digest,
29 Sep. 2025
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To support the early days of those charitable efforts, Frantzve turned to pageants.—
Shawn Raymundo,
AZCentral.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There have been many players across the league over the last few years pushing for all stadiums to have grass, but so far, there haven't been any changes.—
Mark Kern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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The lot remains years later, sitting near athletic stadiums and training centers.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Finnie hasn’t been as noticeable as the exhibitions have gone on, though, and Copp can bring similar smarts and competitiveness, in a heavier body, to the line — if that’s how McLellan wants to deploy him.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Now in its 14th year, cochaired by Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, the event honors leaders in art and film, with proceeds supporting the museum’s exhibitions, acquisitions and educational programs.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This diversity of spaces, like streets, parks, heritage buildings and soundstages gives Madrid unique flexibility and scale, while also spreading economic benefits across the city.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, conservation advocates argue that leaving the parks open during a shutdown leaves room for unnecessary risks.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Among the exhibits is a notebook containing his handwritten account of how his grandfather arrived in Paris on foot at the age of 16 and secured an apprenticeship with a box-maker and packer named Monsieur Maréchal.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
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Teachers gravitated to a book in one of our exhibits, Sermons and Addresses by Abraham Lincoln, that originally belonged to Parthenia Lawrence, a Black teenager who lived in the tenements during the Civil War and Reconstruction.—
Annie Polland,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The artist, known for his gunpowder paintings and outdoor pyrotechnic spectacles, was born in the southern Chinese city of Quanzhou but has been based in New York since the mid-90s.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
22 Sep. 2025
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Even Mike Shildt, who is loath to speak publicly about anything that would suggest his spectacles are not rose-tinted, said as much.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Sundance Film Festival, named for one of the actor’s most iconic characters, grew into a cornerstone of the film industry and eventually one of the most glitzy extravaganzas on the Hollywood social calendar, known as much for screenings as for executive deal-making and VIP parties.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
16 Sep. 2025
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Advertisers still crave the broad, simultaneous viewership such extravaganzas generate, and marketers that in the past might not have spent heavily on sports now see new reasons to do so.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circuses. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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