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
Either way Read will have a long time behind bars to contemplate whether the circus was worth it.
—
Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 4 June 2025
Traditional leagues don’t need to become circus acts.
—John Cairney, Sportico.com, 24 May 2025
Pancake Festival The Rancho Bernardo Historical Society hosts its 18th annual Pancake Festival honoring the military from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday, May 26, at Webb Park with live music, a circus demonstration team, a silent auction and face painting.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025
Now the circus has pulled down the tent for the year; the star attractions are leaving town.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for circus
Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 4 June 2025
Traditional leagues don’t need to become circus acts.
—John Cairney, Sportico.com, 24 May 2025
Pancake Festival The Rancho Bernardo Historical Society hosts its 18th annual Pancake Festival honoring the military from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday, May 26, at Webb Park with live music, a circus demonstration team, a silent auction and face painting.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025
Now the circus has pulled down the tent for the year; the star attractions are leaving town.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circus
Noun
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The General Assembly adjourned its spring session without passing legislation to address the $771 million fiscal shortfall faced by Chicago-area mass transit, and also took no action on proposals to help the Chicago Bears relocate to a new stadium in the northwest suburbs.—
Dan Petrella,
Chicago Tribune,
1 June 2025
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Though the pop-rock band is still playing some summer festivals (Warped Tour, Shaky Knees and Aftershock), while opening for the Jonas Brothers in stadiums, these unconventional shows and the ensuing social media hype have revived the band’s early aughts buzz.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
1 June 2025
Noun
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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
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But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But her father, who is 49, sat next to her boyfriend at the pageant.—
Katherine Rosman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Considering recent press attention on Hudson and Belichick, the Miss Maine USA contestant — who competed in the pageant in 2024 as well, previously placing second — could be using the song to characterize her own situation.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Situated directly below the Main Stand, players can hear everything happening above, like gladiators waiting to enter the coliseum.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news Tales of gladiators going head-to-head with ferocious lions in ancient Rome’s coliseum are legendary.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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What ensued was pure bedlam at Ball Arena, the crowd going ballistic as the captain scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final versus Tampa Bay.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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These ascendants met for back-to-back bedlam in March Madness.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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One exhibit shows some of the stunning and colorful animals found locally in the rockpools around the coast.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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The exhibit also is featured in Saturday’s adults-only Science Night Live event.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The road not taken—and now rediscovered by Orozco—is the reintroduction of the ancient Marxist concept of use value,the dialectical opposite of exchange value, and, more recently, also the sole form of resisting exhibition value, which has totally effaced the concepts of material use and function.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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The only one of its kind in a ski town, the 33,000-square-foot, four-story museum is home to six galleries and changing exhibitions that rival big cities.—
Shauna Farnell,
Denver Post,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Racetracks like Saratoga have attempted to make the weekend a spectacle, with bands and activities throughout the races in hopes of showing the greatness of horse racing and what a day at the track looks like.—
Spencer Ripchik,
Baltimore Sun,
6 June 2025
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The spectacle, unintended yet symbolic, brought a moment of reflection—a metaphor for the uneasy embrace between nature and technology.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circus. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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