1
as in harlequin
a comically dressed performer (as at a circus) who entertains with playful tricks and ridiculous behavior
a clown wearing big floppy shoes and a red wig
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
you should stay away from that clown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clown
Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Travis Barker has worked with them, and every song is a Blink 182-level, class clown anthem about hot teachers and not wanting to leave your bedroom.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
Welcome to Derry, a prequel series from the producers of 2017's IT and 2019's IT Chapter 2 that will again feature Bill Skarsgård as the dancing clown.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Noun
Performances and stunts are delivered by international acrobats and clowns during music and light shows.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Travis Barker has worked with them, and every song is a Blink 182-level, class clown anthem about hot teachers and not wanting to leave your bedroom.
—Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
The parade, which started on Manhattan's Upper West Side and closed at the iconic Macy's Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, included dozens of balloons, floats, clown groups and marching bands.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Nov. 2025
Welcome to Derry, a prequel series from the producers of 2017's IT and 2019's IT Chapter 2 that will again feature Bill Skarsgård as the dancing clown.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown
Noun
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The spill hit 1,300 miles of coastline, leading to the deaths of about 900 bald eagles, 300 seals, 1,000 harlequin ducks, 2,800 sea otters and 250,000 seabirds, according to the conservation group Oceana.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
24 Mar. 2026
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If the Brits are anything to go by, feather boas and harlequin jumpsuits are out, and French-girl flats are in.—
Alice Newbold,
Vogue,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Most guys can get by without an aftershave, no shortage of which are fragrance conduits masquerading as moisturizers.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
11 Mar. 2026
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Even the biggest indie acts of the last 15 years or so tend to be solo singer-songwriters masquerading as bands, but Brooklyn’s Geese, the buzziest rock band in years, are a total exception.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Most Popular Notorious murderer Richard Crafts, who used a chain saw to cut up his wife’s body and a wood chipper to dispose of it, is out of prison and living in a halfway house, a state Department of Correction spokeswoman said Friday.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
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When the singing was done Ma Binney brought me back to her tent and cut up a tomato, put it between two slices of bread, and served it to me on a china plate taken from a wooden chest next to her bed-roll.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Playing alongside Clarence Muse, who portrays a tenant farmer, Fetchit was cast as the clichéd buffoon, lazy and happy-go-lucky.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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So the Dolphins haven’t totally escaped their buffoon-like past with Ross at the helm.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Dishes like jerk chicken and rice and beans cooked in coconut milk reflect the region’s deep Jamaican and British colonial influences that are distinctive from other parts of Costa Rica.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
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Highlights include crab cakes, Napoleon, jerk chicken and waffles, lobster rolls, Florida Croque Madame, oxtail pasta, coquito French toast, tiramisu and more.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Panahi mimed cradling a reptile the size of a kitten.—
H. C. Wilentz,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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Fleming asks, miming a person examining the topping options at an ice-cream parlor.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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But Andrew continued to live at the home and was often seen riding his horse around Windsor Great Park and photographed waving to crowds.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Alex Duong, a comedian, writer and actor based in Los Angeles, has died at the age of 42.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
29 Mar. 2026
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The Bushnell has become Hartford’s big room for top-rank stand-up comedians.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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