circus
cir·cus (sʉr′kəs)
noun
- in ancient Rome, an oval or oblong arena with tiers of seats around it, used as for games or chariot races
- a similar arena, often enclosed in a tent or building for performances by acrobats, trained animals, clowns, etc.
- a traveling show of this sort or its personnel, equipment, etc.
- the performance of such a show
- Brit. a circular open place where many streets come together: used esp. in place names
- ☆ Informal anything thought of as being like a circus, as an event, place, or activity that is riotously entertaining, spectacular, frenzied, disorganized, etc. a media circus
Etymology: L, a circle, ring, racecourse < or akin to Gr kirkos, a circle < IE *kirk- < base *(s)ker-, to turn, bend > Gr korōnos & L curvus, curved
circus
n.
Converse of object
- boycott: RSPCA says: " Boycott the circus " RSPCA Circus FAQ's here.
- join: And from there, I joined a Danish circus.
- travel: There are now just 8 traveling animal circuses, the lowest number ever.
Adjective modifier
- f1: Along with Prost's Nick Heidfeld and Jordan's Heinz-Harald Frentzen, a fifth German will be joining the F1 circus this year.
- contemporary: Events will include dance, classical, jazz, rock and pop music, installations, lectures, screenings, theater and contemporary circus.
- animal: Your support for our work is changing the way people in Chile think about animal circuses.
- traditional: Human based, human sized, easily shared, quite easily learned and all seen in traditional circus.
- famous: Wolverhampton had been visited by many famous Victorian circuses and menageries but had never seen anything on this scale.
Modifies a noun
- clown: Me: Are you sure you're not gonna start juggling them like a circus clown or something?
- performer: In 1914, a " geek " was a circus performer who would bite the heads off chickens or snakes!
- troupe: Why do Will and Beanpole tell the circus troupe about the approach of the Masters ' spaceship?
- strongman: Ibrahim worked as a porter, singer, drummer, circus strongman and shoe shine.
- acrobat: It reminds me of when you see circus acrobats building a human pyramid all balanced on the central person.
- tent: To make your party extra special, why not hire a mini circus tent or include real pony rides?
Noun used with modifier
- three-ring: In short, the whole situation was a real " three-ring circus.
- flea: He's a flea handler in his parents flea circus, among other roles.
- media: Dornoch Castle Hotel has installed a webcam on one of their turrets so that everyone can watch the events and the surrounding media circus.
- medium: DOGGETT stares in surprise at the media circus inside the room.
- celebrity: The actors who play such parts carry their screen personas straight off the celluloid into the celebrity circus.
- ring: Marriage is a 3 ring circus: Engagement Ring, Wedding Ring, Suffering.
Church ain't shucks to a circus.
I remember, when I was a child, being taken to the celebrated Barnum's circus, which contained an exhibition of freaks and monstrosities, but the exhibit on the programme which I most desired to see was the one described as'The Boneless Wonder'. My parents judged that the spectacle would be too revolting and demoralizing for my youthful eyes, and I have waited 50 years to see the boneless wonder sitting on theTreasury Bench.
A chess tournament disguised as a circus.
The ringmaster has altered, but the circus remains the same.
Every country gets the circus it deserves. Spain gets bullfights. Italy gets the Catholic Church. America gets Hollywood.
All I say is, if you cannot ride two horses you have no right in the circus.
Browse dictionary entries near circus
- circumvolving
- circumvolved
- circumvolve
- circumvolution
- circumventive
- circumvention
- circumvent
- circumvallation
- circumvallating
- circumvallated
- circus catch
- Circus Maximus
- Cirenaica
- cirque
- cirrate
- cirrhoses
- cirrhosis
- cirrhotic
- cirri
- cirri-
