carnival

A public celebration with music, street shows, decorated vehicles, and often special food.

• The town holds a carnival every summer.
• Dancers in bright costumes led the carnival parade.
• We tried local food at the carnival.

Similar words: festival

Common phrases: street carnival, carnival parade, annual carnival

A travelling event with rides, games, and other entertainment.

• The carnival arrived in town yesterday.
• We won a toy at a carnival game.
• The children tried every ride at the carnival.

Similar words: funfair, fair

Common phrases: travelling carnival, carnival rides, carnival games

A celebration with costumes, music, and street events before the Christian period of Lent.

• Carnival comes before Lent.
• We visited Venice during carnival season.
• Thousands of dancers joined the carnival celebrations in Rio.

Common phrases: carnival season, carnival in somewhere, carnival celebrations

A wild, confusing mixture of striking things or extreme behaviour.

• The scene was a carnival of chaos.
• The awards show became a carnival of expensive outfits.
• Their meeting turned into a carnival of absurd suggestions.

How to use it: a carnival of something (The debate became a carnival of insults.)

Common phrases: carnival of something, carnival of excess, carnival of colour