1
as in madhouse
a place of uproar or confusion
with seven kids in the house, it's a circus most of the time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pageant
an elaborate, visually exciting show or event
the media circus that took place outside the courthouse every day of the murder trial
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of circus
Mira, who is twelve, is upbeat, confident, and inquisitive, with a dedicated circus practice and a penchant for music-video dance moves.
—
Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 6 May 2026
The traveling circus was revived in 2023 without animals.
—USA Today, 6 May 2026
If Cohen is Bravo’s ringmaster, his circus is composed of reality stars on the same stage as Oscar winners, fashion designers, politicians, novelists, filmmakers, and more reality stars.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
That being the case, it’s already devolved into a circus just days into the case, with the erratic Musk emerging as a key liability in his own proceedings.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for circus
Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 6 May 2026
The traveling circus was revived in 2023 without animals.
—USA Today, 6 May 2026
If Cohen is Bravo’s ringmaster, his circus is composed of reality stars on the same stage as Oscar winners, fashion designers, politicians, novelists, filmmakers, and more reality stars.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 4 May 2026
That being the case, it’s already devolved into a circus just days into the case, with the erratic Musk emerging as a key liability in his own proceedings.
—Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circus
Noun
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Headphones are often my saving grace in this madhouse.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
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In practice, this means a madhouse of multimedia rooms, packed with gurgling videos and useless machines and humanoid bodies.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Beauty pageants are added because +40 female adds to their mandates.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
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The second-to-last episode of the quirky crime drama focused on the Miss Twin Peaks pageant, bringing the characters back from their splintered storylines to a central event.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Attempts are made to offset losses each year by hosting a range of non-football events, with the stadium operators banking that money.—
Philip Buckingham,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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While the majority of DJs perform at nightclubs and music festivals, Summit is joining a list of several prominent DJs who have transitioned to major arena and stadium tours, including Illenium, The Chainsmokers, Tiësto and Kaskade.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The Montreal Canadiens can book their ticket to the Eastern Conference final Saturday night in what will be absolute bedlam in that arena after taking care of business on the road yet again.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Now, by neither embracing that bedlam nor banning it outright, the action gets stuck in limbo.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The exhibit highlights the deployment of Google Distributed Cloud running on TPU v6 (Tensor Processing Units) to enable AI at the network edge.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
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Robinson's defense team, attorneys Kathy Nester, Michael Burt, Richard Novak and Staci Visser, is seeking to block the public from hearing testimony or seeing exhibits that may later be found inadmissible at trial.—
Michael Ruiz , Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
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The coliseum site is just beginning to be reused after being torn down in ’07.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
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Majestically melodic hardcore by way of the Police, their music is both sonically and emotionally strong enough to rock any coliseum.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Despite strong critical support, it was allotted limited showtimes and minimal exhibition backing — a situation its makers came to see as emblematic of wider structural failures confronting Indian indie cinema.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Important people speaking at exhibition openings will tell you that art is about communication.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Noun
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The Caballero circus dynasty dates back to the turn of the 20th century in Guadalajara, with Adelaida Caballero was the first in the family to practice the joyous spectacle.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
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Across two extraordinary weeks, Cannes becomes a nonstop spectacle with daytime photo calls beside the Mediterranean, yacht lunches and interviews in the afternoon, followed by dazzling evening premieres on the legendary red carpet outside the Palais des Festivals.—
Alex Badia,
Footwear News,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circus. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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