1
: a minor show offered in addition to a main exhibition (as of a circus)
2
: an incidental diversion or spectacle
Examples of sideshow in a Sentence
Their disagreement is just a political sideshow when compared to the real issues at hand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Demoustier stars as a penniless young woman called Suzanne working on the ‘Venus Electrificata’ sideshow of a traveling fair meting out electrifying kisses to unsuspecting paying bystanders, while secretly being charged with electricity.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 May 2026
That aspect is fed by the principal setting of a carnival in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine on the outskirts of Paris in 1928, full of bizarre sideshow acts selling bogus spectacle.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Both were charged with misdemeanor organizing and facilitating a sideshow and misdemeanor aiding and abetting a speed contest.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 12 May 2026
The charges come several days after the Oakland and San Francisco police departments partnered with the California Highway Patrol on a massive operation to track down and later trap dozens of people who participated in sideshows and rides Sunday across the Bay Area.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sideshow
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 May 2026
That aspect is fed by the principal setting of a carnival in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine on the outskirts of Paris in 1928, full of bizarre sideshow acts selling bogus spectacle.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Both were charged with misdemeanor organizing and facilitating a sideshow and misdemeanor aiding and abetting a speed contest.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 12 May 2026
The charges come several days after the Oakland and San Francisco police departments partnered with the California Highway Patrol on a massive operation to track down and later trap dozens of people who participated in sideshows and rides Sunday across the Bay Area.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sideshow
Cite this Entry
“Sideshow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sideshow. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sideshow
noun
side·show
-ˌshō 
: a small show off to the side offered in addition to a main show (as of a circus)
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