sideshow

noun

side·​show ˈsīd-ˌshō How to pronounce sideshow (audio)
1
: a minor show offered in addition to a main exhibition (as of a circus)
2
: an incidental diversion or spectacle

Examples of sideshow in a Sentence

Their disagreement is just a political sideshow when compared to the real issues at hand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Everything else about the Grammys became a sideshow. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025 But the beetle is a sideshow, neither the boss nor the boss’s boss here. Elisa Gonzalez, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 One man was killed and two other people were wounded in a shooting Sunday night at an Eastlake district sideshow when gunfire erupted after a spectator was hit by a participating vehicle, authorities said. Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2025 As a sideshow of sorts, there’s also the Christmas Eve defamation and breach of contract action from Stephanie Jones, the head of Baldoni’s old PR firm, in New York state court against Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios and publicists Nathan and Abel. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for sideshow 

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sideshow was in 1846

Dictionary Entries Near sideshow

Cite this Entry

“Sideshow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sideshow. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

sideshow

noun
side·​show -ˌshō How to pronounce sideshow (audio)
: a small show off to the side offered in addition to a main show (as of a circus)

More from Merriam-Webster on sideshow

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