as in circus
a place of uproar or confusion
the house has been a three-ring circus ever since the kids got back from summer camp
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Recent Examples of three-ring circus
So much is packed in that The Slip feels more like a three-ring circus than a 12-round match.
—
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
The song uses a three-ring circus to explain the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 12 Feb. 2025
The other is an unranked unicorn, most at home in the middle ring of a three-ring circus.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
As real estate agent Greg, Matt Rogers makes for a delightful ringmaster of this three-ring circus.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
The song uses a three-ring circus to explain the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 12 Feb. 2025
The other is an unranked unicorn, most at home in the middle ring of a three-ring circus.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
As real estate agent Greg, Matt Rogers makes for a delightful ringmaster of this three-ring circus.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-ring circus
Noun
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As a teen-ager, Batten was the president of Animal Connection of Texas, an animal-rights nonprofit, and lobbied for restrictions on travelling circuses.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps no one had more fun on Wednesday than Darius Garland, who blew kisses after each of his five 3-pointers, converted a handful of circus shots and finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go with six assists.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Given her reputation and TikTok-famous opener Ella Langley, the badge line was a madhouse.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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In the fourth quarter, Soldier Field was an absolute madhouse with 60,000-plus waving towels, chewing fingernails, frothing at the mouth and … grating cheese?—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Bogle is able to cross into the box, where the two strikers are again creating bedlam for the centre-backs.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Another centered on a teenage girl (Chloë Sevigny doppelgänger Emma Halleen), whose insecurities blind her to a life that is, on its surface, pretty good, finds a palpable sadness within the bedlam of the show.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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