circus
noun/ˈsɜːkəs/
/ˈsɜːrkəs/
- [countable] a group of people, sometimes with trained animals, who perform acts with skill in a show that travels around to different places
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- the circus[singular] a show performed by people who are members of a circus, usually in a large tent called the big top
- We took the children to the circus.
- [singular] (informal, disapproving) a group of people or an event that attracts a lot of attention
- A media circus surrounded the royal couple wherever they went.
- the American electoral circus
- [countable] (British English) (used in some place names) a round open area in a town where several streets meet
- Piccadilly Circus
- [countable] (in ancient Rome) a place like a big round outdoor theatre for public games, races, etc.
Word Originlate Middle English (with reference to the arena of Roman antiquity): from Latin, ‘ring or circus’. The sense ‘travelling company of performers’ dates from the late 18th cent.
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