clown

noun \ ˈklau̇n \

Updated on: 25 May 2018

Definition of clown

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 : joker 1b

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Examples of clown in a Sentence

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 of clown from the Web

Tepper has been depicted as a class clown in high school and was voted as the best actor in his senior musical.

— mike jones, USA TODAY, "David Tepper: Five things to know about the man who may buy the Carolina Panthers," 15 May 2018
Before the wet-concrete ceremony, a parade on Hollywood Boulevard featured a Chinese band, firecrackers, 25 Lancia sports cars, clowns and cheerleaders.

— scott harrison, latimes.com, "From the Archives: Herbie leaves tire prints in concrete," 26 Apr. 2018
The new season kicks off on September 21 with clown and singer Puddles Pity Party.

— yoshina okamoto, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Book of Mormon,’ OK Go, Tig Notaro and more on Anchorage Concert Association lineup," 24 Apr. 2018
Dana Loesch, a host on NRATV, was dressed as a clown toting an AR-15 rifle.

— molly hennessy-fiske, latimes.com, "Grieving parents of teen killed in Parkland school shooting use 'graphic activism' to confront the NRA," 6 May 2018
The clown-car that ran over the British establishment has driven off a cliff.

— The Economist, "Council elections in England reveal political stasis," 4 May 2018
Len looks like a clown, Carrie Ann looks kind of stylish in a fitted blazer, and Bruno looks like a go-go dancer at an Athlete's Foot store.

— amy watts, baltimoresun.com, "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Athletes season kicks off with double elimination," 2 May 2018
In both blackface and Apu, the main character is a loveable but silly clown, defined by an accent.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "My Epiphany About the Problem With Apu," 14 Apr. 2018
But most of the records were kind of cheesy — fastest marathon run while dressed as a clown; that sort of thing.

— Washington Post, "Q&A: He’s trying to run world’s fastest marathon — backward," 25 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of clown

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1563

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

clown Synonyms

Synonyms

beast, boor, cad, churl, creep, cur, dog, heel, jerk, joker, louse, lout, pill, rat, reptile, scum, skunk, slob, snake, stinker, swine, varmint, vermin;

Near Antonyms

hero, heroine, idol, role model;

gentleman, lady;

angel, saint;

loudmouth, vulgarian;

lowlife, miscreant, rascal, rogue, roughneck, scab, scamp, scoundrel, villain, wretch;

booby, fool, nincompoop, ninny, nitwit, nut;

airhead, birdbrain, blockhead, dolt, dope, dork [slang], goon, half-wit, idiot, imbecile, moron, turkey;

Phrases

son of a gun;

clown

verb

Definition of clown

intransitive verb

: to act as or like a clown

always clowning around

See clown defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of clown from the Web

Budda Baker was in Seattle this weekend and attended the UW football spring preview Saturday at Husky Stadium, where he was seen clowning around with his former coaches and teammates.

— mike carter, The Seattle Times, "Ballard shooting victim reportedly brother of ex-Husky star Budda Baker," 23 Apr. 2018
Minutes earlier, Stern delivered a characteristically bawdy address in honor of the classic New Jersey rockers, giving the band plenty of love while clowning on frontman Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora and Rolling Stone scion Jann Wenner.

— maeve mcdermott, USA TODAY, "Howard Stern's 10 best Bon Jovi jokes at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction," 14 Apr. 2018
Digital assistants egg on every other appliance in the house to clown around.

— joe queenan, WSJ, "My Electronic Devices Are Laughing at Me," 22 Mar. 2018
When Malenkov asks whatever became of a former colleague, a pall draws over the room, until Beria and Khrushchev begin clowning around to distract Stalin from his potentially lethal rage.

— christopher orr, The Atlantic, "The Death of Stalin Is a Wicked Farce," 16 Mar. 2018
But Groucho was also an accomplished crowd-worker, and this was the bulk of the show, as Ferrante-as-Groucho clowned with audience members.

— john timpane, Philly.com, "Frank Ferrante in 'Groucho': A loving look at a comic hero (and crowd-worker)," 19 Feb. 2018
Neither should the fact that the White House already has clowned Cotton on this clumsy lie with an even clumsier explanation.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Tom Cotton and President* Trump Deserve Each Other," 16 Jan. 2018
Elsewhere at the 69th (nice) Emmys, The Handmaid's Tale and Hulu clowned all over Netlflix's 5-year quest for a Best Drama Series Emmy, and Donald Glover cleaned the hell up.

— tom philip, GQ, "Dave Chappelle Was in Peak DGAF Form at the Emmys," 18 Sep. 2017
Mike Ditka clowned around in New Orleans, going 15-33 with the Saints before taking his mustache to ESPN.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Pride all that's left for John Fox, but is this the end of his career?," 9 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of clown

1599

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

CLOWN Defined for English Language Learners

clown

noun

Definition of clown for English Language Learners

: someone who performs in a circus, who wears funny clothes and makeup, and who tries to make people laugh
: someone who often does funny things to make people laugh
: a rude or stupid person