Registration No. 333-47211
                                                             Filed pursuant to
                                                                Rule 424(b)(3)


                               CINTAS CORPORATION

                         110,521 shares of Common Stock
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     This  Prospectus  relates to 110,521  shares of Common  Stock,  without par
value,  of  Cintas  Corporation,  a  Washington  corporation  ("Cintas"  or  the
"Company").  These  shares  are  being  offered  for sale by Dennis  Paiva  (the
"Selling   Shareholder").   The  Selling  Shareholder  acquired  the  shares  in
connection with an acquisition by Cintas of Paiva Family Corp. dba Sierra Safety
Supply ("Sierra"), a corporation previously owned by him.

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     The Common  Stock may be  offered  to the  public  from time to time by the
Selling Shareholder. See "Selling Shareholder." The Company will receive none of
the proceeds  from the sale of the Common Stock by the Selling  Shareholder  but
will pay certain of the expenses of this offering.  The Selling Shareholder will
bear certain costs of this offering,  including the commissions and discounts of
any  underwriters,  dealers  and agents and the legal  expenses  of the  Selling
Shareholder.  The Common  Stock may be sold  directly  or through  underwriters,
dealers or agents in market transactions or  privately-negotiated  transactions.
See "Plan of  Distribution."  The  Cintas  Common  Stock is traded in the Nasdaq
National  Market under the symbol  "CTAS." On March 12, 1998,  the closing sales
price of the Cintas Common Stock was $50-3/8.

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THESE  SECURITIES  HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR  DISAPPROVED  BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE  COMMISSION NOR HAS THE COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY
OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

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                 The date of this Prospectus is March 13, 1998.







                              AVAILABLE INFORMATION

     The Company is subject to the informational  requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange  Act"),  and in accordance  therewith  files
reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") under file No. 0-11399.  Reports, proxy statements
and other  information  filed by the Company can be inspected  and copied at the
public reference facilities maintained by the Commission, 450 Fifth Street N.W.,
Washington,  D.C. 20549 and at the Regional Offices of the Commission at 7 World
Trade Center,  Suite 1300, New York, New York, and at Northwestern  Atrium,  500
West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago,  Illinois. Copies of such material can
be  obtained  at  prescribed  rates  from the  Public  Reference  Section of the
Commission at the address set forth above.  In addition,  material  filed by the
Company can be obtained and inspected at the offices of The Nasdaq Stock Market,
Inc., 9513 Key West Avenue,  Rockville,  Maryland, 20850, on which the Company's
Common Stock is quoted.  The Company  files its reports,  proxy  statements  and
other  information  with  the  Commission  electronically,  and  the  Commission
maintains a Web site  located at  http://www.sec.gov  containing  such  reports,
proxy statements and other information.

     This Prospectus  constitutes a part of a Registration Statement on Form S-3
(Number 333-47211) filed by the Company with the Commission under the Securities
Act of 1933. This Prospectus  omits certain of the information  contained in the
Registration  Statement,  and  reference  is  hereby  made  to the  Registration
Statement  and to the exhibits  relating  thereto for further  information  with
respect to the Company and the shares offered hereby.  Any statements  contained
herein  concerning  the provisions of any documents are complete in all material
respects,  and,  in each  instance,  reference  is made to such copy filed as an
exhibit to the  Registration  Statement or otherwise  filed with the Commission.
Each such statement is qualified in its entirety by such reference.

                      INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

     The  following  documents  filed by the  Company  with the  Commission  are
incorporated into this Prospectus by reference:


(1)  Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 1997.

(2)  Quarterly  Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters  ended August 31, 1997 and
     November 30, 1997.

(3)  Registration  Statement on Form 8-A, SEC File No. 0-11399,  registering the
     Company's  Common  Stock  under  Section  12 of  the  Exchange  Act,  which
     describes the class of securities being registered hereunder.












     All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c),  14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act,  after the date of this  Prospectus and
prior to the termination of the offering of the shares offered hereby,  shall be
deemed to be  incorporated  by  reference  into this  Prospectus  and to be part
hereof.

     Statements  contained in the documents  incorporated  by reference shall be
deemed to be modified and  superseded  to the extent that  statements  contained
herein modify or supersede such statements.

     THIS PROSPECTUS INCORPORATES DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE WHICH ARE NOT PRESENTED
HEREIN OR DELIVERED  HEREWITH.  THESE  DOCUMENTS (NOT INCLUDING  EXHIBITS TO THE
INFORMATION   THAT  IS  INCORPORATED  BY  REFERENCE  UNLESS  SUCH  EXHIBITS  ARE
SPECIFICALLY  INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THE INFORMATION THAT THE PROSPECTUS
INCORPORATES) ARE AVAILABLE UPON WRITTEN OR ORAL REQUEST,  WITHOUT CHARGE,  FROM
DAVID T.  JEANMOUGIN,  SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY OF THE COMPANY,  6800
CINTAS BOULEVARD, CINCINNATI, OHIO 45262, PHONE (513) 459-1200.

                                   THE COMPANY

     Cintas  is a leader  in the  uniform  rental  and  sales  business  and has
particular expertise in designing,  planning and implementing corporate identity
uniform programs. The Company concentrates on uniform rental services and custom
uniform sales.  Revenues  received from uniform rental  services and non-uniform
rental items,  including dust mops,  entrance mats and wiping cloths,  accounted
for  approximately  88% of Cintas'  revenues for fiscal 1997. The balance of the
Company's  revenues are derived from custom uniform sales, the sale of first aid
and safety products,  consumable  cleanroom supplies and sales of related items.
The Company  provides uniform and related rental products and services through a
network of 130 rental locations and three cleanroom laundries and sells uniforms
to national customers through distribution centers located in Cincinnati,  Ohio,
Reno,  Nevada and Montgomery,  Alabama.  First aid and safety products are sold,
for the most part, by Cintas to independent  distributors who in turn sell these
products to industrial users. At its four garment  manufacturing  facilities the
Company  manufactures a substantial  portion of the uniform trousers and uniform
shirts supplied to its customers.

     During the past five years, Cintas has made several acquisitions of uniform
rental operations which  significantly  affected the Company's  revenues and net
income. These acquisitions were completed using cash,  seller-financing,  Cintas
Common Stock or a combination of these methods.  The Company intends to continue
to  expand,  through  both  internal  growth,  including  the  establishment  of
operations in new geographic areas, and by continuing its acquisition program of
both  uniform  rental  companies  and  companies  that  engage  in the  sale and
distribution of first aid and safety products.

     Cintas was  incorporated  under the laws of the State of Washington in 1986
and is the  successor to a business  begun in 1929.  Its  executive  offices are
located at 6800 Cintas Boulevard, Cincinnati, Ohio 45262; telephone number (513)
459-1200.








                              SELLING SHAREHOLDER

     The shares  offered  pursuant to this  Prospectus  are being sold by Dennis
Paiva who owns 110,521  shares of Cintas  Common  Stock,  all of which are being
offered for sale hereby. The Selling  Shareholder owns no other shares of Cintas
Common Stock and if all shares  offered  hereby are sold,  he will own no Cintas
Common Stock upon the completion of this offering.  Shares acquired by gift from
the shares  owned by the Selling  Shareholder  may also be sold  pursuant to the
Prospectus by any such donee.  This prospectus may also be used by transferrees,
assignees, distributees and pledgees of the Selling Shareholder.

     On February 13, 1998,  Sierra was acquired by Cintas  through the merger of
Sierra with a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of Cintas.  In the merger,  the Selling
Shareholder received the 110,521 shares of Cintas Common Stock described in this
Prospectus in exchange for his shares of Sierra capital stock.

                                 USE OF PROCEEDS

     The Company  will not receive any  proceeds  from the shares  being sold in
this offering.

                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     The  Common  Stock may be sold from time to time  directly  by the  Selling
Shareholder.  Alternatively, the Selling Shareholder may from time to time offer
the Common Stock through  underwriters,  dealers or agents.  The distribution of
the Common Stock by the Selling Shareholder may be effected from time to time in
one or more  transactions  that may take  place on the  over-the-counter  market
including ordinary broker's transactions,  privately-negotiated  transactions or
through  sales to one or more  broker/dealers  for resale of such  securities as
principals,  at market prices  prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related
to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Usual and customary or
specifically  negotiated  brokerage  fees or  commissions  may be paid by  these
holders in connection with such sales.

     The Company will pay certain expenses  incident to the offering and sale of
the Common  Stock to the  public.  The  Company  will not pay for,  among  other
expenses,  commissions and discounts of  underwriters,  dealers or agents or the
fees and expenses of counsel for the Selling Shareholder.

                                  LEGAL MATTERS

     The  legality of the Common  Stock  offered  hereby will be passed upon for
Cintas by Keating, Muething & Klekamp, P.L.L., Cincinnati, Ohio, of which Donald
P.  Klekamp,  a Director  of the  Company,  is a  partner.  Members of that firm
beneficially own 307,934 shares of Cintas Common Stock.







                                    EXPERTS

     The consolidated financial statements of Cintas Corporation incorporated by
reference in Cintas  Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
May 31, 1997, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent  auditors,  as
set  forth in  their  report  thereon  incorporated  by  reference  therein  and
incorporated  herein by reference in reliance  upon such report,  given upon the
authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

                                  MISCELLANEOUS

     No  person  is  authorized  to  give  any   information   or  to  make  any
representations  other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this
Prospectus and, if given or made, such informa tion or representations  must not
be relied upon as having been authorized. This Prospectus does not constitute an
offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the
registered  securities to which it relates or an offer to sell or a solicitation
of an offer to buy such securities in any  jurisdiction to any person to whom it
is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. Neither the
delivery  of  this   Prospectus  nor  any  sale  hereunder   shall,   under  any
circumstances,  create  any  implication  that  there  has been no change in the
affairs  of Cintas  since  the date  hereof  or that the  information  herein is
correct as of any time subsequent to its date.