Circus

/ˈsɜːkəs/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent.

    "The circus will be in town next week."

  2. 2
    a performance given by a traveling company of acrobats, clowns, and trained animals wordnet
  3. 3
    A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet.

    "Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street."

  4. 4
    a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment wordnet
  5. 5
    A spectacle; a noisy fuss; a chaotic and/or crowded place. figuratively

    "The village would be turned into a circus over this. He groaned, it was just the sort of case the media had a field day over. He had to get the whole thing sorted fast before anyone got wind of it."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent wordnet
  2. 7
    In the ancient Roman Empire, a building for chariot racing. historical
  3. 8
    (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games wordnet
  4. 9
    A code name for bomber attacks with fighter escorts in the day time. The attacks were against short-range targets with the intention of occupying enemy fighters and keeping their fighter units in the area concerned.
  5. 10
    a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals wordnet
  6. 11
    Circuit; space; enclosure. obsolete

    "The narrow circus of my dungeon wall."

Verb
  1. 1
    To take part in a circus; or to be displayed as if in a circus

Synonyms

All synonyms
agoraamphitheaterannular muscleannulusarenaareola

Example

More examples

"The circus entertained us very much."

Etymology

From Middle English circus, circo, from Latin circus (“ring, circle”), from Ancient Greek κρίκος (kríkos), κίρκος (kírkos, “ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”). Doublet of cirque. Cognate with Old English hring (whence English ring) and Old English hringsetl (“circus”, literally “ring-seat”).

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