Adjacent Words

Circus definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CIRCUS, n.
1. In antiquity, a round or oval edifice, used for the exhibition of games and shows to the people. The Roman circus was encompassed with porticos, and furnished with rows of seats, rising one above another for the accommodation of spectators. The Circus Maximus was nearly a mile in circumference.
2. The open area, or space inclosed, in which were exhibited games and shows; as wrestling, fighting with swords, staves or pikes, running or racing, dancing, quoits, etc.
3. In modern times, a circular inclosure for the exhibition of feats of horsemanship.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals; "he ran away from home to join the circus"
2: a performance given by a traveling company of acrobats, clowns, and trained animals; "the children always love to go to the circus"
3: a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment; "it was so funny it was a circus"; "the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere" [syn: circus, carnival]
4: (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games
5: an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent; "they used the elephants to help put up the circus"
6: a genus of haws comprising the harriers [syn: Circus, genus Circus]

Merriam Webster's

noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, circle, circus — more at circle Date: 14th century 1. a. a large arena enclosed by tiers of seats on three or all four sides and used especially for sports or spectacles (as athletic contests, exhibitions of horsemanship, or in ancient times chariot racing) b. a public spectacle 2. a. an arena often covered by a tent and used for variety shows usually including feats of physical skill, wild animal acts, and performances by clowns b. a circus performance c. the physical plant, livestock, and personnel of such a circus d. something suggestive of a circus (as in frenzied activity, sensationalism, theatricality, or razzle-dazzle) <a media circus> 3. a. obsolete circle, ring b. British a usually circular area at an intersection of streets • circusy adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. circuses) 1 a travelling show of performing animals, acrobats, clowns, etc. 2 colloq. a a scene of lively action; a disturbance. b a group of people in a common activity, esp. sport. 3 Brit. an open space in a town, where several streets converge (Piccadilly Circus). 4 a circular hollow surrounded by hills. 5 Rom. Antiq. a a rounded or oval arena with tiers of seats, for equestrian and other sports and games. b a performance given there (bread and circuses). Etymology: L, = ring

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Circus Cir"cus, n.; pl. Circuses. [L. circus circle, ring, circus (in sense 1). See Circle, and cf. Cirque.] 1. (Roman Antiq.) A level oblong space surrounded on three sides by seats of wood, earth, or stone, rising in tiers one above another, and divided lengthwise through the middle by a barrier around which the track or course was laid out. It was used for chariot races, games, and public shows. Note: The Circus Maximus at Rome could contain more than 100,000 spectators. --Harpers' Latin Dict. 2. A circular inclosure for the exhibition of feats of horsemanship, acrobatic displays, etc. Also, the company of performers, with their equipage. 3. Circuit; space; inclosure. [R.] The narrow circus of my dungeon wall. --Byron.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(circuses) 1. A circus is a group that consists of clowns, acrobats, and animals which travels around to different places and performs shows. My real ambition was to work in a circus. ...circus performers. N-COUNT • The circus is the show performed by these people. My dad took me to the circus. N-SING: the N 2. If you describe a group of people or an event as a circus, you disapprove of them because they attract a lot of attention but do not achieve anything useful. It could well turn into some kind of a media circus. N-SING [disapproval]

Moby Thesaurus

Broadway, O, agora, amphitheater, annular muscle, annulus, arena, areola, athletic field, auditorium, aureole, background, bear garden, bowl, boxing ring, bull ring, burlesque, burlesque show, campus, canvas, carnival, chaplet, circle, circuit, circumference, closed circle, cockpit, coliseum, colosseum, coochie show, corona, coronet, course, crescent, crown, cycle, diadem, discus, disk, drama, entertainment industry, eternal return, fairy ring, fantoccini, field, floor, floor show, forum, galanty show, garland, girly show, glory, ground, gym, gymnasium, hall, halo, hippodrome, hootchy-kootchy show, lasso, leg show, legit, legitimate stage, light show, lists, locale, logical circle, loop, looplet, magic circle, magic show, marketplace, mat, milieu, noose, off Broadway, off-off-Broadway, ombres chinoises, open forum, orbit, palaestra, parade ground, peep show, pit, place, platform, playland, precinct, prize ring, public square, puppet show, purlieu, radius, range, raree-show, rep show, repertory drama, repertory show, ring, rodeo, rondelle, round, roundel, saucer, scene, scene of action, scenery, setting, shadow show, show biz, show business, sideshow, site, sphere, sphincter, squared circle, stadium, stage, stage set, stage setting, stage world, stagedom, stageland, stock, strawhat, strawhat circuit, summer stock, terrain, the big top, the boards, the footlights, the scenes, the stage, the theater, theater, theater world, theatromania, theatrophobia, tilting ground, tiltyard, variety, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show, vicious circle, walk, wheel, wreath, wrestling ring