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
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
Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The girls are just as down to clown, coming up with funny drunk poses and faces.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2025
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
Sure, pop and hip-hop may still ultimately dominate the top 40 arena, but the gentle upswing in popularity for a genre long clowned for being dead is obviously noteworthy.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Former Des Plaines officer Mike Albrecht recalled to NBC Chicago that when police were assigned to surveil Gacy after Piest's disappearance, the part-time clown would try to pal around with officers and invite them into his house.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
The girls are just as down to clown, coming up with funny drunk poses and faces.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Killer clown horror Hellbilly Hollow has been acquired by High-Fliers Films for UK and Ireland, Lighthouse Entertainment for Germany, Austria and Switzerland and Encripta for Latin America.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
Sure, pop and hip-hop may still ultimately dominate the top 40 arena, but the gentle upswing in popularity for a genre long clowned for being dead is obviously noteworthy.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share