big top: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Informal, figurative
Quick answer
What does “big top” mean?
The large, main tent used by a circus for its central performance area.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The large, main tent used by a circus for its central performance area.
The circus itself as an institution or the central spectacle of a circus performance. It can be used metonymically to refer to the entire circus world or industry.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
None significant; the term is used identically in both variants.
Connotations
The same nostalgic and traditional connotations apply equally in both BrE and AmE.
Frequency
The frequency is similar. As traditional tent circuses decline, the term is used more in historical and figurative contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “big top” in a Sentence
under the [big top]the [big top] of the circusVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “big top” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- (Rare/not standard)
American English
- (Rare/not standard)
adverb
British English
- (Rare/not standard)
American English
- (Rare/not standard)
adjective
British English
- The big-top atmosphere was electric with anticipation.
- He was a famous big-top performer in his youth.
American English
- She loved the big-top experience, complete with cotton candy.
- The show had a classic, big-top feel.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used. May appear in historical contexts of entertainment industry.
Academic
Used in historical, cultural, or performance studies discussing circus history and culture.
Everyday
Used to describe or refer to a circus, often nostalgically. 'We took the kids to see the big top.'
Technical
Specific to the circus industry or event production when discussing large tensile fabric structures.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “big top”
- Using it as a plural ('big tops') when referring to a single circus concept. Using 'big top' to refer to any large tent.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a compound noun written as two separate words: 'big top'.
Only if the event is deliberately styled to mimic a traditional circus, using a large central tent. Otherwise, it's not standard.
Its use has declined with the decline of traditional tent circuses, but it remains the standard term for that concept and is widely understood in a historical or figurative sense.
A 'big top' is specifically a circus tent. A 'marquee' (BrE) is a large tent used for various events like weddings or parties. In AmE, a large party tent is usually just called a 'tent' or 'party tent'.
The large, main tent used by a circus for its central performance area.
Big top is usually informal, figurative in register.
Big top: in British English it is pronounced /ˌbɪɡ ˈtɒp/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌbɪɡ ˈtɑːp/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “under the big top”
- “run away to join the big top”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Picture the BIGgest TOP of the circus tent; it's the main cover for the main show.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE CENTRAL ATTRACTION IS A LARGE COVER (Metonymy: The container (tent) for the event (circus)).
Practice
Quiz
What is the 'big top' primarily associated with?