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.Compare big top.
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.
a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats, in which public entertainments are held; arena.
(in ancient Rome)
a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above another, for chariot races, public games, etc.
an entertainment given in this Roman arena, as a chariot race or public game: The Caesars appeased the public with bread and circuses.
anything resembling the Roman circus, or arena, as a natural amphitheater or a circular range of houses.
flying circus.
British. an open circle, square, or plaza where several streets converge: Piccadilly Circus.
fun, excitement, or uproar; a display of rowdy sport.
Obsolete. a circlet or ring.
Origin of circus
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin: circular region of the sky, oval space in which games were held, akin to (or borrowed from) Greek kírkos ring, circle
Almost literally a sideshow, as in a circus, where the center ring is occupied by the main event and the rings off to the side are populated by the lesser acts.
Vice presidential debate: Highlights and fact-checks|Colby Itkowitz, Anne Gearan, Matt Viser, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|October 8, 2020|Washington Post
By 2017, the effort to create an experimental underwater vortex circus had paid off with proof of what happens to helicity in the real world.
An Unexpected Twist Lights Up the Secrets of Turbulence|David H. Freedman|September 3, 2020|Quanta Magazine
That might not happen if they were being bred like circus animals just to make money.
What would it take to make a unicorn?|Carolyn Wilke|March 4, 2020|Science News For Students
It helps that the circus is like a family—only one that can choose its members.
A Backstage Love Affair With Cirque du Soleil|Allison McNearney|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The circus is now performing 18 shows around the world, with eight performances in Las Vegas alone each night.
A Backstage Love Affair With Cirque du Soleil|Allison McNearney|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1870, the very Germanically-named August Ruengling fixed a harness for a circus rider and obtained free passes for his family.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus|Anthony Paletta|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Circus parades often became as large a sight as the performance itself; one Barnum and Bailey parade stretched for three miles.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus|Anthony Paletta|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The modern era of the circus is inseparable from several names you may have encountered.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus|Anthony Paletta|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crossing the square where the Tacon theatre and circus stand, I wander through the narrow, ill-paved streets of the Cuban capital.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba|Walter Goodman
The circus was about breaking up for the night, and the great tent was buzzing and resounding with noise.
The Rival Campers Ashore|Ruel Perley Smith
And though he whined and begged to be taken to the circus, Farmer Green caught hold of his collar and led him into the barn.
The Tale of Old Dog Spot|Arthur Scott Bailey
If he can flourish a whip like a true ringmaster in the circus, the interest of the game will be enhanced.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft
The rest of the time he could eat or sleep, except when the circus moved from place to place.
Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant|Richard Barnum
British Dictionary definitions for circus
circus
/ (ˈsɜːkəs) /
nounplural-cuses
a travelling company of entertainers such as acrobats, clowns, trapeze artistes, and trained animals
a public performance given by such a company
an oval or circular arena, usually tented and surrounded by tiers of seats, in which such a performance is held
a travelling group of professional sportsmena cricket circus
(in ancient Rome)
an open-air stadium, usually oval or oblong, for chariot races or public games
the games themselves
British
an open place, usually circular, in a town, where several streets converge
(capital when part of a name)Piccadilly Circus
informalnoisy or rowdy behaviour
informala person or group of people whose behaviour is wild, disorganized, or (esp unintentionally) comic