DictionarycirqueCircus performance
noun

cirque

A circus or circuslike performance.

The cirque performance combines aerial acrobatics, live music, and theatrical lighting.

Etymology

The French word means circus. Borrowed into English in this sense, it identifies a circus performance or presentation with the same kind of spectacle.

More examples

  • The festival hosts a contemporary cirque.
  • She trains for an ambitious cirque production.
  • A small cirque troupe arrives for the weekend.

Forms

cirque · cirques

Similar words

circus
Circus is the usual English term; cirque is a French borrowing often used for a style of performance.