as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
our coworker's clowning was distracting, but fun to watch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in masquerading
Related Words
2
as in cutting up
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of clowning
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
With an impressive ability to do accents and a background in clowning, Storrie is made for this.
—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
The balance is also what clowning is.
—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
There’s no grandstanding, no frantic clowning.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.
—
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
The clowning might be a little too effortful.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
With an impressive ability to do accents and a background in clowning, Storrie is made for this.
—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
The balance is also what clowning is.
—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
There’s no grandstanding, no frantic clowning.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.
—
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clowning
Noun
-
Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Verb
-
Some of the most notable moments show Atlas imitating human emotional reactions.
-
To celebrate, Gazza lay down on the grass and opened his mouth wide, imitating the dentist’s chair that had got him and his team-mates into so much bother a few weeks earlier.
Verb
-
Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.
-
Always cutting up and making memories.
Noun
-
The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.
-
Receivers have cratered seasons with me-over-we buffoonery.
Verb
-
In January, local media widely reported that police arrested Argentine citizen Agostina Páez in Rio after being filmed mimicking a monkey toward a waiter at a nightclub.
-
These four-seaters — mimicking a Dodge Charger, Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R and Toyota Supra — all come complete with working taillights.
Verb
-
Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.
-
In April 2020, Iglesias shared a video of him horsing around with Lucy and Nicholas as the pair attempted to climb on his back for a ride.
Noun
-
As for Abdul-Mateen, the clownery will resume for him on Broadway.
-
Tirhakah Love is a senior writer at New York Magazine and the host of the new evening newsletter Dinner Party, a daily email that touches on all things entertainment — that means film, television, music, tech, and gaming — plus politics and corporate clownery.
Verb
-
Fleming asks, miming a person examining the topping options at an ice-cream parlor.
-
Elena, a skating coach and choreographer, was on the edge of her seat throughout Naumov’s program, quietly miming his movements in the arena’s second tier above the rink, willing Naumov on with every piece of choreography.
Cite this Entry
“Clowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clowning. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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