big top

noun

1
: the main tent of a circus
2
: circus sense 2a

Examples of big top in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
When the big top is raised, the workers clamber and flip with acrobatic flair. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2026 The tent’s support poles began to fall, and the burning big top collapsed less than ten minutes after the commotion began. — Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2025 The clown’s job was to offer something extraordinary to keep circus crowds in their seats and to entice sideshow visitors back to the big top for the main events. — Time, 30 Oct. 2025 His adolescent daughter Louise was standing beneath a big top in a rural French town preparing to enter the center ring. — April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for big top

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of big top was in 1763

Rhymes for big top

See All Rhymes for big top

Browse Nearby Words

bigtooth maple
big top
big tree
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Big top.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big%20top. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

big top

noun
1
: the main tent of a circus
2
: circus sense 2

More from Merriam-Webster on big top

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about big top

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