ˈkæɹnɪvəl ˈsɜːkəs ˈsɝkəs a performance given by a traveling company of acrobats, clowns, and trained animals the children always love to go to the circus a frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment it was so funny it was a circus the whole occasion had a carnival atmosphere an arena consisting of an oval or circular area enclosed by tiers of seats and usually covered by a tent they used the elephants to help put up the circus (antiquity) an open-air stadium for chariot races and gladiatorial games a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals he ran away from home to join the circus