circus

American  

[sur-kuhs] / ˈsɜr kəs /

noun

• circuses
  plural

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.

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circus British  

/ 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

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circus Idioms  

1. see three-ring circus.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• circusy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• circuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of circus

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”

Explanation

A circus is a group of many different performers, often including clowns, trapeze artists, and animal trainers. When the circus comes to town, you'll see a big, striped tent being set up for the show. The ringmaster of a circus has historically been a kind of narrator, calling for the audience's attention and announcing different entertainers. Traditional circuses have performing animals, clowns, and acrobats, while more contemporary circuses combine elements of theater, dance, acrobatics, and music. You can also use circus to mean "noisy, confused activity." In Latin, the word circus means "ring," and the Romans used it to describe the arenas in which performances took place.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

circus circuses

Picasso talked about his parents, his family and all the circus people who informed his art.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

They square the circle of Swift masterminding a full-scale trolling of media and fans while simultaneously hosting a cotton-candy celebrity circus where an awkward wallflower finally, triumphantly blooms.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Opponents have dubbed the resignation a "circus" and "desperate stunt", according to the paper.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Polling expert John Curtice told the BBC that Farage had been hoping for a "very substantial political circus" but may end up with a "relatively damp squib" if no one challenges him properly.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

“They got away from a circus train that was wrecked.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Families popped it over wood stoves; peddlers sold it in paper cones at circuses, carnivals and busy promenades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

They’re capitalist endeavors, not charity cases, whose stated mission is to provide bread and circuses to the masses while making as much profit as possible in the process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2025

PeTA has been fighting to protect animals in circuses for over thirty years.

From NewsForKids.net ● Apr. 23, 2024

Other reality TV wedding circuses emerged from this primordial soup too, including a few that built an entire marriage-accessory block on TLC and a market for rubbernecking horror comedies like WEtv’s “Bridezillas.”

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2024

“Bread, circuses, and something to worship are all they need,” the senator concluded, regretting in his conscience that there should be a lack of bread.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• festival
• spectacle