big top
noun
the largest or main tent of a circus.
a circus.
Origin of big top
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
Words nearby big top
big talk,
big ten,
big tent,
big time,
big toe,
big top,
big tree,
big up,
big wheel,
big white chief,
big-bang theory
British Dictionary definitions for big top
big top
noun informal
the main tent of a circus
the circus itself
Idioms and Phrases with big top
big top
The main tent of a circus, as in The high-wire act is almost always in the big top. [c. 1840]
Underworld slang for a maximum-security prison, as in He was sentenced to ten years in the big top. [1950s]