clown

noun

\ ˈklau̇n

Definition of clown

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : farmer, countryman

2 : a rude ill-bred person : boor

3a : 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 sense 1b

clown

verb

clowned; clowning; clowns

Definition of clown (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to act as or like a clown always clowning around

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about clown

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Synonyms for clown

Synonyms: Noun

buffo, buffoon, harlequin, zany

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

Of course, the shapeshifting evil presence that feeds on anger and fear will be reprised in dancing clown form by actor Bill Skarsgård. — Anthony Breznican, EW.com, "It: Chapter Two is taking Pennywise to San Diego Comic-Con," 5 June 2019 Rather than the Bentley Apple had promised, iTunes became a clown car. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "iTunes Is Dead. Let's Pay Our Respects," 3 June 2019 The historic spot, next to the Cirque d’Hiver, has been open since 1902 and features tiles depicting clowns having a gay old time. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "Cartier Celebrates Its Latest Collection With a Lavish Parisian Fete," 19 Apr. 2019 Back then, the pattern was widely associated with the devil and other unsavory characters like prostitutes, prisoners and clowns. — Katharine K. Zarrella, WSJ, "To Make Stripes Feel Fresh, Layer Them Wantonly," 31 Jan. 2019 There were nods to clowns and jesters, but most stunning was the live acrobatic performance that unfolded. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Dior Had Live Acrobats Perform on Its Couture Runway," 22 Jan. 2019 Did Shawn Reynolds, North Andover class of 1993, ever expect the fact that he was voted class clown and most talkative to find its way on to Google? — Billy Baker, BostonGlobe.com, "Your high school yearbook is going online," 5 July 2018 The poison cherry on top of this rancid sundae, though, is the massive 5-foot-tall, hideously evil-in-a-good-way, clown head that acts as the 18th hole. — Gunnar Johnson, southflorida.com, "8 South Florida mini-golf courses worth taking a swing at," 18 Apr. 2018 If the 2020 Democratic primary race is starting to feel a bit like a clown car, then there’s great news: one of the latest Dems to throw his hat in is quite the joker. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "Teens Started Mike Gravel's Meme-Heavy 2020 Presidential Campaign," 9 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This is not just a bunch of clowns getting clowned. — Zan Romanoff, Vox, "What we get wrong about multilevel marketing, explained by the host of the popular podcast about it," 30 Nov. 2018 Now, that's skewed a little from clowning Vancouver 11-on-9 last weekend, and nobody else has played more matches than Sporting. — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Moose and the Royals' rare pace, Chiefs' draft, and one more Bud Lathrop story | The Kansas City Star," 24 Apr. 2018 Despite getting knocked out of the playoffs, Lance Stephenson is still here to clown J.R. Smith on Instagram. — Dakota Crawford, Indianapolis Star, "After J.R. Smith's Game 1 blunder, Lance Stephenson drops an Instagram burn," 1 June 2018 Seems as if the airlines are still clowning and being targeted with lawsuits because of the clownery. — Breanna Edwards, The Root, "Nigerian Woman, Who Was Removed From United Flight After a White Passenger Complained She Was ‘Pungent,’ Files Lawsuit," 14 May 2018 Wearing a black polka-dot dress with a signature red lip, Gomez posed for selfies with eager fans and clowned around with some of the youngest in the venue’s photobooth. — Melania Hidalgo, PEOPLE.com, "Selena Gomez Surprises Fans at Hospital Prom — and Sticks Around for Selfies," 25 June 2018 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

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.