circus

CEFRB1

/ˈsɜːkəs/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A show with performers, animals, and tricks under a large tent.

  2. 02

    noun

    A confusing or uncontrolled situation.

Examples

  • The clown at the circus pleased my children.

  • Everyone turned out for the circus.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3

Also pronounced

  • /seːkəs/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A round open space in a town or city where multiple streets meet.

  2. A spectacle; a noisy fuss; a chaotic and/or crowded place.

  3. A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent.

More examples

In context

  • The circus entertained us very much.

  • Oxford Circus in London is at the north end of Regent Street.

  • The circus will be in town next week.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The children were thrilled to watch the clown at the blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English circus, circo, from Latin circus (“ring, circle”), from Ancient Greek κρίκος (kríkos), κίρκος (kírkos, “ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”). Doublet of cirque. Cognate with Old English hring (whence English ring) and Old English hringsetl (“circus”, literally “ring-seat”).