often attributive
1
a
: a large arena enclosed by tiers of seats on three or all four sides and used especially for sports or spectacles (such as athletic contests, exhibitions of horsemanship, or in ancient times chariot racing)
b
: a public spectacle
2
a
: an arena often covered by a tent and used for variety shows usually including feats of physical skill, wild animal acts, and performances by clowns
b
: a circus performance
c
: the physical plant, livestock, and personnel of such a circus
d
: something suggestive of a circus (as in frenzied activity, sensationalism, theatricality, or razzle-dazzle)
a media circus
Examples of circus in a Sentence
He worked for a small circus.
We're going to the circus.
Recent Examples on the Web
That doesn’t mean the celebrity circus that Ohtani attracts — reluctantly — has been without drawbacks for the Dodgers this season.
—
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Don your favorite costume and enjoy a fall festival loaded with a treat trail, spooky games, enchanting performances, a stilt walker, inflatables, a creepy crawly gooey zone, a lil ghouls corral and a bike circus.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2024
Dillane’s curious list of partnerships has run the gamut from the contemporary circus Cirque du Soleil to the Brooklyn Nets basketball team.
—Sofia Celeste, WWD, 9 Sep. 2024
The movie, which saw a circus of scrappy underdog freaks sell out to become a joyless sideshow at a slick amusement park, felt oddly like an apology for the last 15 years of Burton’s career.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for circus 
Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Don your favorite costume and enjoy a fall festival loaded with a treat trail, spooky games, enchanting performances, a stilt walker, inflatables, a creepy crawly gooey zone, a lil ghouls corral and a bike circus.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2024
Dillane’s curious list of partnerships has run the gamut from the contemporary circus Cirque du Soleil to the Brooklyn Nets basketball team.
—Sofia Celeste, WWD, 9 Sep. 2024
The movie, which saw a circus of scrappy underdog freaks sell out to become a joyless sideshow at a slick amusement park, felt oddly like an apology for the last 15 years of Burton’s career.
—Constance Grady, Vox, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for circus
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'circus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near circus
Cite this Entry
“Circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circus. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
circus
noun
cir·cus
ˈsər-kəs 
1
: a large arena enclosed by rows of seats (as in ancient Rome)
2
a
: a show that usually travels from place to place and that has a variety of exhibitions including acrobatic feats, wild animal displays, and performances by clowns
b
: a circus performance
c
: the performers and equipment of such a circus
d
: something that suggests a circus
Etymology
from Latin circus "circle, arena"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share