1
: farmer, countryman
2
: a rude ill-bred person : boor
3
a
: a fool, jester, or comedian in an entertainment (such as a play)
specifically
: a grotesquely dressed comedy performer in a circus
b
: a person who habitually jokes and plays the buffoon
c
clowned; clowning; clowns
: to act as or like a clown
always clowning around
Synonyms
Examples of clown in a Sentence
Noun
Those big shoes make you look like a clown!
Who's the clown standing in the middle of the road?
those clowns at the state capital
Verb
as a youngster he was always clowning around in the classroom
Recent Examples on the Web
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 July 2024
The Republican Convention’s finale on Thursday night began, fittingly, with a clown show: Hulk Hogan, shouting in a voice that sounded like a Disney Animatronic version of a pro wrestler giving a political speech.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 19 July 2024
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 July 2024
Perez continues to work to broaden the school’s traditional classical training with a focus on diversity and courses on Suzuki training, clowning, physical comedy and more.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown 
Noun
The doc is expected to include previously unseen footage from the comedian’s 1972 film maudit about a circus clown imprisoned at a concentration camp.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 July 2024
The Republican Convention’s finale on Thursday night began, fittingly, with a clown show: Hulk Hogan, shouting in a voice that sounded like a Disney Animatronic version of a pro wrestler giving a political speech.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 19 July 2024
Verb
Billboard has reached out to Rick Ross’ reps, the Ignite Music Festival as well as the Vancouver Police Department.
50 Cent didn’t waste any time in clowning his rival Ross.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 July 2024
Perez continues to work to broaden the school’s traditional classical training with a focus on diversity and courses on Suzuki training, clowning, physical comedy and more.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clown
1 of 2 noun1
: a rude and often stupid person
2
: a performer (as in a play or circus) who usually wears funny clothes and makeup and tries to make people laugh
clownish
adjective
ˈklau̇-nish
clownishly
adverb
clownishness
noun
clown
2 of 2 verb
: to act like a clown
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