circus
circus Lexical Profile
circus Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A traveling company of entertainers, typically including acrobats, clowns, trapeze artists, and sometimes trained animals, that performs in a large tent or arena, or the performance itself.
"The children were thrilled when the traveling circus set up its big top tent on the edge of town."
A public scene of frenetic, noisy, or chaotic activity, spectacle, or confusion.
"The high-profile trial quickly turned into a media circus outside the courthouse."
British A circular open space at a street junction where several roads meet, often surrounded by a curved terrace of buildings.
"We arranged to meet near the fountain at Piccadilly Circus before walking to the theater."
In ancient Rome, a large oval or oblong arena surrounded by tiered seating, used for chariot races, equestrian events, and public games.
"Archaeologists excavated the remains of a Roman circus that once held tens of thousands of spectators."
• Rhymes for circus
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin circus ('circle, ring, or racecourse'), related to Ancient Greek kirkos ('circle, ring'). Originally used in English for ancient Roman arenas like the Circus Maximus, it came to refer to modern traveling acrobatic and equestrian shows in the late 18th century.