as in clown
a comically dressed performer (as at a circus) who entertains with playful tricks and ridiculous behavior
the children at the birthday party giggled at the buffoon's silly tricks
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Recent Examples of buffoon
So the Dolphins haven’t totally escaped their buffoon-like past with Ross at the helm.
—
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
The movie is like a version of Waiting for Guffman (1996) in which the Christopher Guest character was not a buffoon but an earnest striver with grit and (significant) talent.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Johnson delights in playing the role of lovable buffoon in the locker room, but his goofiness has purpose.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Finally there’s Arthur, an upwards-failing buffoon caught—like so many of his countrymen, then and now—between Conkling’s spoils system and Garfield’s idealism.
—Judy Berman, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buffoon
Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 17 Feb. 2026
The movie is like a version of Waiting for Guffman (1996) in which the Christopher Guest character was not a buffoon but an earnest striver with grit and (significant) talent.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Johnson delights in playing the role of lovable buffoon in the locker room, but his goofiness has purpose.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Finally there’s Arthur, an upwards-failing buffoon caught—like so many of his countrymen, then and now—between Conkling’s spoils system and Garfield’s idealism.
—Judy Berman, Time, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buffoon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for buffoon
clown
Noun
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Hints at the canonical Big Daddies of existential clown float through the air — Beckett would recognize this pair, and so would Jean Genet.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
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The comments section is filled with college football fans from all over the country calling the university's athletic department a bunch of clowns and hypocrites, but one Big 12 rival, the TCU Horned Frogs, put out a statement of their own in response to Tech's video.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Buffoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buffoon. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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