WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
bread′ and cir′cuses, 
  1. something, as extravagant entertainment, offered as an expedient means of pacifying discontent or diverting attention from a source of grievance.
  • 1910–15; translation of Latin pānis et circēnsēs; from a remark by the Roman satirist Juvenal on the limited desires of the Roman populace

'bread and circuses' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
circus

Forum discussions with the word(s) "bread and circuses" in the title:


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