as in circus
a place of uproar or confusion
the house has been a three-ring circus ever since the kids got back from summer camp
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of three-ring circus
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
Not to mention that Taylor’s productions are like three-ring circuses.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
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
Not to mention that Taylor’s productions are like three-ring circuses.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for three-ring circus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-ring circus
Noun
-
Super American Circus: Located in the PIC Resort, the Super American Circus is a 90-minute modern one-ring circus that showcases some of the best acts in the world.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
-
Starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, the movie has embedded itself into the Formula 1 world championship as the crew have followed the circus around the world to be included in its race weekends.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Welcome to the madhouse.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2022
-
Life around the office, which included a basketball court and beer on tap, was a preview of the headquarters-as-madhouse ethos soon to dominate Silicon Valley.—
Alex Williams,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2022
Noun
-
For example, India—a huge market for most products, services and technologies—may not exactly be ready for a robotaxi (dense population, rules and regulations, traffic bedlams, etc.).—
Punnam Raju Manthena,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Not long after, the catastrophic climate event happened, and bedlam broke out at the facility.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
4 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to three-ring circus
Cite this Entry
“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share