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
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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
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There are other moments ripe with backstory — including the fact that Roger was once an actual circus clown, as revealed by old photos — that remain underexploited by Fund, who’s more interested in sustaining a certain mood.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Feb. 2025
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The once traveling sideshow circus became cohesive.—
Alix Strauss,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Welcome to the madhouse.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2022
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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
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The hallway outside the Hollis apartment by now is complete bedlam: Drop the f—--g knife!—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
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The bedlam came during the third quarter of the game in Nanterre, France, which was part of the FIBA Basketball Champions League.—
Bradford Betz,
Fox News,
19 Dec. 2024
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 4 Mar. 2025.
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