circus

[sur-kuhs]

noun

plural

circuses 

1. a large public entertainment, typically presented in one or more very large tents or in an outdoor or indoor arena, featuring exhibitions of pageantry, feats of skill and daring, performing animals, etc., interspersed throughout with the slapstick antics of clowns.

2. a troupe of performers, especially a traveling troupe, that presents such entertainments, together with officials, other employees, and the company's performing animals, traveling wagons, tents, cages, and equipment.

3. anything resembling such public entertainments, as an event or activity that is wildly active, disordered, sensational, etc..

   That whole trial was a circus.

4. a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats, in which public entertainments are held; arena.

5. (in ancient Rome)

   1. a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above another, for chariot races, public games, etc.

   2. an entertainment given in this Roman arena, as a chariot race or public game.

      The Caesars appeased the public with bread and circuses.

6. anything resembling the Roman circus, or arena, as a natural amphitheater or a circular range of houses.

7. flying circus.

8. British.,  an open circle, square, or plaza where several streets converge.

   Piccadilly Circus.

9. Obsolete.,  a circlet or ring.

circus

/ ˈsɜːkəs /

noun

1. a travelling company of entertainers such as acrobats, clowns, trapeze artistes, and trained animals

2. a public performance given by such a company

3. an oval or circular arena, usually tented and surrounded by tiers of seats, in which such a performance is held

4. a travelling group of professional sportsmen

   a cricket circus

5. 1. an open-air stadium, usually oval or oblong, for chariot races or public games

   2. the games themselves

6. 1. an open place, usually circular, in a town, where several streets converge

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      Piccadilly Circus

7. informal,  noisy or rowdy behaviour

8. informal,  a person or group of people whose behaviour is wild, disorganized, or (esp unintentionally) comic

Other Word Forms

• circusy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of circus¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin: “circular region of the sky, oval space in which games were held,” akin to (or borrowed from) Greek kírkos “ring, circle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of circus¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek kirkos ring

Idioms and Phrases

see three-ring circus.

Example Sentences

The composition’s frantic strings and minor chords cleverly emphasize the brilliance of Oliphant’s cartoons depicting the circus of the politically obscene.

From Salon

Millar: We had a whole backstory for him, which is he was in a circus and he fell in love with a circus performer.

From Los Angeles Times

"To be honest, what we experience here is basically just one big circus. What we see is that border defence here is mostly a show, a political performance."

From BBC

Set in 1915, the story features twins who escape the clutches of a serial killer and find a haven among a group of so-called “circus freaks,” including a two-headed woman and dog-faced boy.

From Los Angeles Times

A small circus had been erected and a bull ring constructed of wooden posts and leaves.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• festival 
• spectacle