three-ring circus

noun

1
: a circus with simultaneous performances in three rings
2
: something wild, confusing, engrossing, or entertaining

Examples of three-ring circus in a Sentence

the house has been a three-ring circus ever since the kids got back from summer camp
Recent Examples on the Web The chords and harmonies of Williams' music sound similar to the poppy anthems of that cinematic three-ring circus, and the choreography team of Ashley Wallen and Jenny Griffin reunite with Gracey to contextualize Williams' worldwide hits with new dance numbers. EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 The household in the 1970s was routinely described as a three-ring circus filled with rowdy kids, lost pets and haggard servants who often quit in frustration, saying Ethel was difficult to work for. Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024 Democrats, who slammed the impeachment inquiry as a political stunt, described the Republican conference as a three-ring circus. Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Amy B Wang, Jacqueline Alemany, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Sep. 2023 Life gets serious enough, after all—as does Facebook, what with the constant political brawling, and let's not even get started on the total three-ring circus Twitter has turned into lately. Jill Gleeson, Country Living, 17 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for three-ring circus 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'three-ring circus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of three-ring circus was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near three-ring circus

Cite this Entry

“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

three-ring circus

noun
1
: a circus with performances occurring in three different rings at the same time
2
a
: something wild, confusing, or chaotic
five activities at one time turned the classroom into a three-ring circus
b
: something made into a spectacle
the actor's court appearance became a three-ring circus
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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