bread and circuses

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We demand, if not bread and circuses, then true American camp—a racoon-and-toy-pony show, a hunt for treasure, and White House officials dragged up to entertain our children.

From Salon

Thanks to Dana Milbank for pointing out in his Jan. 29 Sunday Opinion column, “House Republicans bring the bread and circuses,” senators’ overuse of Taylor Swift lyrics in the recent hearing on Ticketmaster.

From Washington Post

“Speaker McCarthy needs to stop ‘bread and circuses’ in Congress,” she said, “and start governing for a change.”

From Slate

“Speaker McCarthy needs to stop ‘bread and circuses’ in Congress and start governing for a change,” Spartz said in a statement objecting to the “charade” of kicking members off their committees.

From Washington Post

It was an apt invocation of the Roman writer Juvenal’s lament 2,000 years ago that the people had abdicated their duties as citizens of the Republic in favor of “bread and circuses” provided by their imperial rulers.

From Washington Post