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.

My second takeaway is that bread and circuses — the Roman phrase for distracting the populace with spectacle — was in full force.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

Instead, at the end of the day, as the world spins out of control, people want bread and circuses to keep them from contemplating the horrors that we ourselves have created.

From Salon • Nov. 2, 2023

At the very beginning of the presentation, Zuckerberg attempted to assure viewers that all this metaverse talk wasn’t just bread and circuses, referencing “all the scrutiny and public debate” currently swirling around his company.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2021

“Nobody Speak” is a chilling, essential primer in how we got here and where we’re going if bread and circuses continue to win the news cycle.

From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2017

So died the great Pagan civilisation; of bread and circuses and forgetfulness of the household gods.*

From Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Ward, Maisie