as in to horse around
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
as a youngster he was always clowning around in the classroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown (around)
Verb
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Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025 -
Fayetteville Sad Palomino’s Will King releases a collection of home recordings In between horsing around with his longtime band Sad Palomino, Will King has been recording and trying to decide the best way to share songs, mostly written during winters from 2020 to 2025.—
Monica Hooper,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2025
Verb
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Those have come from two players: Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres, who throws an odd knuckleball-changeup hybrid about 1 percent of the time, and Jonah Bride of the Minnesota Twins, an infielder fooling around with the knuckler in blowouts.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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As Molly and Guy start to fool around, things get hot and heavy, but Ernie has a job to do.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Maria is a former basketball player for the University of New Orleans Maria cut up the court herself, as a Division I basketball player for the University of New Orleans from 1993 to 1996, per the Rutgers University website.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
25 June 2025
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Video and phone recordings showed Frey cutting up a rubber glove, filling it with something and stuffing the package into an arrow shaft during a call with Smith.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Mbaye needed little time to show off his powerful dribbling, with his direct running crucial in the lead-up to PSG’s fourth goal at the Rose Bowl.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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The parade weaves through the historic downtown, bringing together antique cars, floats, and locals looking to show off their red, white, and blue.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
18 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Clown (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown%20%28around%29. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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