play the clown

idiom

: to try to make people laugh
He was always playing the clown.

Examples of play the clown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Henderson could play the clown, but was not a screwball. Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play the clown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near play the clown

Cite this Entry

“Play the clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20clown. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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