as in circus
a place of uproar or confusion
the house has been a three-ring circus ever since the kids got back from summer camp
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Recent Examples of three-ring circus
The song uses a three-ring circus to explain the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
—
Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 12 Feb. 2025
The other is an unranked unicorn, most at home in the middle ring of a three-ring circus.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
As real estate agent Greg, Matt Rogers makes for a delightful ringmaster of this three-ring circus.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
The chords and harmonies of Williams' music sound similar to the poppy anthems of that cinematic three-ring circus, and the choreography team of Ashley Wallen and Jenny Griffin reunite with Gracey to contextualize Williams' worldwide hits with new dance numbers.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 12 Feb. 2025
The other is an unranked unicorn, most at home in the middle ring of a three-ring circus.
—Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
As real estate agent Greg, Matt Rogers makes for a delightful ringmaster of this three-ring circus.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
The chords and harmonies of Williams' music sound similar to the poppy anthems of that cinematic three-ring circus, and the choreography team of Ashley Wallen and Jenny Griffin reunite with Gracey to contextualize Williams' worldwide hits with new dance numbers.
—EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-ring circus
Noun
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Wild and kitschy shows followed with opening fetes dedicated to colorful subjects including Andy Warhol, circus clowns, and Canadian television creators and puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft.—
Lina Lecaro,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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Also in play is Octopussy (Maud Adams) and her traveling circus, whom Orlov is using as a front for his smuggling operation.—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the fourth quarter, Soldier Field was an absolute madhouse with 60,000-plus waving towels, chewing fingernails, frothing at the mouth and … grating cheese?—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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Instead of the orgiastic madhouse that fans of Monster and American Horror Story have grown accustomed to, Devil in Disguise is a somber affair, as aesthetically chilly as a December in Des Plaines, Illinois.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Another centered on a teenage girl (Chloë Sevigny doppelgänger Emma Halleen), whose insecurities blind her to a life that is, on its surface, pretty good, finds a palpable sadness within the bedlam of the show.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
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Its trading floor — the setting for most of the hostile financial bedlam — was last seen smothered in tarpaulin while awaiting closure after the bank was acquired by an Egyptian sovereign wealth fund.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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