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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Now the circus has pulled down the tent for the year; the star attractions are leaving town.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
24 May 2025
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Based on a true story, the 1925 rescue attempt drew a media circus.—
Jeryl Brunner,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The madhouse of awards season and all its many, many controversies — not to mention an ongoing parade of natural and man-made disasters — has until now perhaps overshadowed some of the year’s lower-stakes joys.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
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But things move fast in the Goodison madhouse.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
The Athletic,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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What ensued was pure bedlam at Ball Arena, the crowd going ballistic as the captain scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final versus Tampa Bay.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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These ascendants met for back-to-back bedlam in March Madness.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Three-ring circus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-ring%20circus. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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