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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of three-ring circus
So much is packed in that The Slip feels more like a three-ring circus than a 12-round match.
—
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-ring circus
Noun
-
Democratic primaries lately have been like a high-wire circus act that’s always on the cusp of falling but never does.—
Henry Olsen,
Washington Post,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The film follows a Circassian circus troupe in New Jersey and centers on a young wrestler (Talha Akdogan) torn between his father’s restaurant and the troupe’s high-wire acts.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Given her reputation and TikTok-famous opener Ella Langley, the badge line was a madhouse.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Cue bedlam as the momentum swung decisively Wrexham’s way in a title race that had seen both teams already reach 100 points.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
