big top

American  

noun

1. the largest or main tent of a circus.

2. a circus.

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big top British  

noun

1. the main tent of a circus

2. the circus itself

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big top Idioms  

1. The main tent of a circus, as in The high-wire act is almost always in the big top . [c. 1840]

2. Underworld slang for a maximum-security prison, as in He was sentenced to ten years in the big top . [1950s]

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Etymology

Origin of big top

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

Their vibrant, jam-packed settings depict anything from an oceanic rave to a rainbow-hued big top performance to a joyride through the cosmos.

From Los Angeles Times

There were stacks of photo albums filled with pictures of the big top, circus acts, animals, and people.

From Literature

A man whose usual job involves setting up big tops at music festivals is preparing to run the world's most southerly post office in Antarctica.

From BBC

Around 20 jugglers, trapeze artists and concession stand workers are filtering into the big top that the majestic Circus Vargas uses to perform across 25 California cities 11 months out of the year.

From Los Angeles Times

Out my window, I watch us rise higher and higher above Jackson; over the coliseum with its big top, the skyscrapers, the governor’s mansion, and churches downtown; the busy interstate, the sleepy suburbs.

From Literature