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
Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
The pie shoved in Anthony’s face by his lover, Giuseppe, felt like a neat distillation of how crudely the series seemed to clown its characters, week after week after week.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
That includes Jingle Jangle the clown.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Noun
Another fan clowned Chicago for its move, noting that Reese's criticisms of the team's roster building.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
The pie shoved in Anthony’s face by his lover, Giuseppe, felt like a neat distillation of how crudely the series seemed to clown its characters, week after week after week.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
That includes Jingle Jangle the clown.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown
Noun
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Learn more about management options and which food plants are most susceptible to this insect in our harlequin bug on vegetables web page.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2025
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Pity the poor actor who has to co-star opposite a 150-pound harlequin Great Dane.—
Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Big Tech companies happily cash in on these ads, which often masquerade as public health alerts or urgent consumer warnings.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Hackers are using the messaging app Telegram and fake websites that impersonate brands to trick users into installing the malware, which will masquerade as popular apps, including TikTok, YouTube, and Google Photos.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The boat therefore needed metal or plastic cages installed around the engines, so that the diver wouldn’t get accidentally cut up by their blades — and finding a boat and then the right cages fit onto the boat would take time.—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
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Techniques like this have been around for some time, but Micro-C uses an enzyme that can cut up DNA more finely than before.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Best of The Bee: FBI’s Kash Patel blasts Adam Schiff as a ‘political buffoon’ via David Lightman California Legislature took aim at speeding up home building.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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The lunatic buffoon took a nap between boos at the US Open.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Stop Sales sent the raw chicken, cut cow foot and jerk sauce into the garbage.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
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Because even in a world of monsters, ghouls, and greedy jerks, the good guys still prevail.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Barrymore declared, before miming eating Anderson’s toes.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
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The Beck-Page Yardbirds appear in that film, miming to the song at a rock club in a performance that culminates with Beck smashing his guitar.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.—
Matias Grez,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Thompson and Evangeline were married for over 10 years before the comedian filed for divorce in April 2022.—
Alyssa Davis,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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Last week, Zelda Williams, the daughter of late comedian Robin Williams, asked that people stop sending her AI videos of her father.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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