car·ni·val
ˈkär-nə-vəl 
1
: a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent
2
a
: an instance of merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading
b
: an instance of riotous excess
a carnival of violence
3
a
: a traveling enterprise offering amusements
b
: an organized program of entertainment or exhibition : festival
a winter carnival
: suggestive of or suited to a carnival
a carnival atmosphere
carnival colors
Synonyms
Examples of carnival in a Sentence
Noun
the school's annual winter carnival
That part of town is a carnival on Friday and Saturday nights.
There is a carnival atmosphere in the office.
The garden became a carnival of color.
Recent Examples on the Web
Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
Once created, the kit will build an iconic (and fully functioning) carnival swing ride, a boom ride, and a Ferris wheel.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Bsn, Parents, 15 Nov. 2023
Elsewhere on the grounds, Flog Gnaw revelers rode classic carnival rides like the Yo-Yo and Himalaya and shopped at the Golf Wang store — Tyler’s clothing line, aka the words Flog Gnaw backwards — for special festival merch, most of which was sold out by Sunday night.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Nov. 2023
There are also carnival rides, a 575-foot-long snow tube run, and holiday films playing on a massive, five-story screen.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2023
According to its website, Dollywood comprises a main theme park that features carnival rides, the Splash Country water park with numerous slides, and two resorts.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
Inside were carnival rides and attractions designed by more than thirty of the previous century’s geniuses, from Salvador Dalí to David Hockney to Roy Lichtenstein.
—Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
By the time the song begins to fade in a loop of bell chimes and a softening drum beat, you’re left with that dizzying feeling of stepping off a spinning carnival ride, lightheaded but eager to go back for another round.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2023
The event will feature live music, drag racing, a car show, carnival rides and In-N-Out Burger cookout trucks and a lemonade stand.
—Fielding Buck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2023
Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
The Square has spooky carnival-style games.
—Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022
Transform your salad spinner into a carnival-style spin art machine.
—Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping, 31 Oct. 2022
The Children’s Zoo encouraged youngsters to feed and pet the animals, but eliminated carnival-style gimmicks that were common in zoos at the time.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2022
Whitestown's family-friendly Independence Day Celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. with live music, carnival-style food, a ticketed kid's zone and a fireworks show once the sun goes down.
—Chloe McGowan, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2022
The Queen is also expected to attend the Derby, one of her favorite horse race events, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a carnival-style celebration during which many artists, including Ed Sheeran, will perform.
—Monique Jessen, PEOPLE.com, 12 May 2022
Collecting all the later drama in one city offers a chance to create a carnival-style event, a miniature tournament within a tournament, a defining climax to the European campaign.
—New York Times, 29 Apr. 2022
On top of brand booths for Venmo, Spotify, Hawkers, Erewhon, 818 Tequila, Onda, Daring Foods, Good American, Celsius, Zip and Pley Beauty, Revolve Festival also featured carnival-style swings and plenty of photo opps.
—Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2022
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Noun
Highlights include holiday crafts for kids, carnival games, balloon artists and cookie decorating, free churros and cotton candy.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023
Once created, the kit will build an iconic (and fully functioning) carnival swing ride, a boom ride, and a Ferris wheel.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Bsn, Parents, 15 Nov. 2023
Elsewhere on the grounds, Flog Gnaw revelers rode classic carnival rides like the Yo-Yo and Himalaya and shopped at the Golf Wang store — Tyler’s clothing line, aka the words Flog Gnaw backwards — for special festival merch, most of which was sold out by Sunday night.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Nov. 2023
There are also carnival rides, a 575-foot-long snow tube run, and holiday films playing on a massive, five-story screen.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2023
According to its website, Dollywood comprises a main theme park that features carnival rides, the Splash Country water park with numerous slides, and two resorts.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023
Inside were carnival rides and attractions designed by more than thirty of the previous century’s geniuses, from Salvador Dalí to David Hockney to Roy Lichtenstein.
—Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
By the time the song begins to fade in a loop of bell chimes and a softening drum beat, you’re left with that dizzying feeling of stepping off a spinning carnival ride, lightheaded but eager to go back for another round.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2023
The event will feature live music, drag racing, a car show, carnival rides and In-N-Out Burger cookout trucks and a lemonade stand.
—Fielding Buck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Customers at Starbucks will be introduced to a new interface with a carnival-style wheel.
—Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023
The Square has spooky carnival-style games.
—Annie Alleman, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022
Transform your salad spinner into a carnival-style spin art machine.
—Lauren Piro, Good Housekeeping, 31 Oct. 2022
The Children’s Zoo encouraged youngsters to feed and pet the animals, but eliminated carnival-style gimmicks that were common in zoos at the time.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2022
Whitestown's family-friendly Independence Day Celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. with live music, carnival-style food, a ticketed kid's zone and a fireworks show once the sun goes down.
—Chloe McGowan, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2022
The Queen is also expected to attend the Derby, one of her favorite horse race events, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a carnival-style celebration during which many artists, including Ed Sheeran, will perform.
—Monique Jessen, PEOPLE.com, 12 May 2022
Collecting all the later drama in one city offers a chance to create a carnival-style event, a miniature tournament within a tournament, a defining climax to the European campaign.
—New York Times, 29 Apr. 2022
On top of brand booths for Venmo, Spotify, Hawkers, Erewhon, 818 Tequila, Onda, Daring Foods, Good American, Celsius, Zip and Pley Beauty, Revolve Festival also featured carnival-style swings and plenty of photo opps.
—Kirsten Chuba, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carnival.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near carnival
Cite this Entry
“Carnival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnival. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
carnival
noun
car·ni·val
ˈkär-nə-vəl
1
: a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent
2
: a noisy merrymaking
3
a
: a traveling group that puts on a variety of amusements
b
: a program of entertainment
More from Merriam-Webster on carnival
Nglish: Translation of carnival for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of carnival for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carnival
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