clown

1 of 2

noun

1
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

clown

2 of 2

verb

clowned; clowning; clowns

intransitive verb

: to act as or like a clown
always clowning around

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The parade starts at 10:30 a.m., featuring about 100 entries, including marching bands, clowns, bagpipers, traditional Irish dancers, police and fire departments and dignitaries. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 Men dress as devils and pose for photos, a clown walks around shouting jokes, a man enters the ring on his motorbike, which has a set of horns at the front, and drives through the crowd. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 While at the house party, Clara meets Kip (Jake Weary), who was persuaded by one of his aunts to wear a clown costume and make balloon animals at the party. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 Peacock is making sure that true crime followers never look at clowns the same way ever again. EW.com, 14 Feb. 2024 Bow starred in the 1927 movie It (nothing to do with clowns) about a shopgirl who goes after a wealthy older man. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Feb. 2024 Looking at Cyphers’ life for inspiration, Saunders was intrigued by her dual identities as the CEO of Alameda Pediatric Dentistry and as a professional clown, juggler and magician who performed as Dr. Magic. Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024 In the following decades, quite independently of the politics swirling around her, Sherman continued to deploy her face and body in fanciful guises that ran the gamut from an Italian Renaissance Madonna to an All-American clown. Nancy Princenthal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024 In one photo, Joaquin Phoenix is seen in his familiar burgundy suit and Joker clown makeup standing next to Lady Gaga in a floral blouse. Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2024
Verb
This cirque show combines acrobatic performance with the art of clowning while exploring fear, identity, recognition and power. Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 The Padres are in spring training now, so From the Archives goes back to 1965 for this photo of Padre Tommy Helms clowning around trying to cool off the hot bat of teammate Lee May. U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 For her, there is no clowning around with soft-serve ice cream or fancier flavors, such as the ubiquitous salted caramel. Jill Wendholt Silva, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 University of South Wales researchers surveyed 528 people who expressed a fear of clowns or the act of clowning. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2023 From matching ensembles to clowning each other, here are Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' most memorable friendship moments. Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023 While laughing and clowning around, Zendaya struck a pose — an iconic pose. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023 Advertisement Deidre Scott, who had heard about the performance through friends in the clowning community, took a seat in the old auditorium that looks like a high school theater circa 1968 except for the large paintings inspired by tarot cards lining the walls. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023 He also got clowned on so incredibly hard with the entire party participating in the Marshall Facial Expression Challenge. Vulture, 1 Sep. 2023

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably of Low German origin; akin to Frisian klönne clumsy fellow, Old English clyne lump of metal

First Known Use

Noun

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of clown was in 1563

Dictionary Entries Near clown

Cite this Entry

“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

clown

1 of 2 noun
1
: 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
ˈklau̇-nish
adjective
clownishly adverb
clownishness noun

clown

2 of 2 verb
: to act like a clown

More from Merriam-Webster on clown

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