Wild West show

American

noun

an entertainment, often as part of a circus, representing scenes and events from the early history of the western U.S. and displaying feats of marksmanship, horseback riding, rope twirling, and the like.

Wild West show British

noun

a show or circus act presenting feats of horsemanship, shooting, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Wild West show

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Wild West show

In a conversation with The Associated Press, Griffin says he learned to love the spotlight during five years as an expert rodeo hand in a Wild West show at Paris’ Disneyland park.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2021

But what about Frank Butler, the sharpshooting star of a traveling Wild West show?

From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2020

Buffalo Bill advertised Cody in a Wild West show program, promising air that was “so pure, so sweet and so bracing” that it would act as an intoxicant to city-clogged lungs.

From New York Times ● Feb. 23, 2020

Theater-goers enter to find the stage swathed with colorful, tent-like fabric, signaling that they’ve entered Bronco Billy’s traveling Wild West show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2019

“Cowboy Charlie” Irwin ran two businesses: a raucous Wild West show in summer and an even more raucous racing stable in winter.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023