as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
our coworker's clowning was distracting, but fun to watch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in miming
Related Words
2
as in cutting up
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clowning
Noun
-
The other person who spoke in South Carolina, Tim Walz, is a special mixture of extreme buffoonery and a mean spirit, which is a toxic brew.—
Jenny Goldsberry,
The Washington Examiner,
1 June 2025 -
Certainly hope none of you will be complicit in this buffoonery.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
The sketch sees Sarah Sherman imitating Wood’s Chelsea, cartoonishly wide-eyed, donned in large false teeth and speaking in a thick accent.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
13 Apr. 2025
-
The company uses data and AI learning to simulate attacks that go beyond just imitating an individual’s voice – like most modern sophisticated phishing attacks, the technology uses details about someone’s family, background, personality and more.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
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.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2022
-
The Winx Club live action is a big clownery!—
Olivia Truffaut-Wong,
refinery29.com,
25 Jan. 2021
Noun
-
Idris Elba is the British prime minister (and ex-soldier) who has no time for his tomfoolery.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
-
Sadly, the Academy has released no rules preventing the tomfoolery that led to two leading actors winning the Supporting categories this year.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Butch Baker, who was Henry County sheriff until 2014, recalled an incident in which Bertram was accused of inappropriate horseplay at the community corrections office.—
Tony Cook,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
-
The action anime feature for everyone who couldn’t get enough of the horseplay in The Two Towers has finally cantered onto Max.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
There’s some slapstick comedy and threatening language that may need to be discussed with younger kids.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
18 July 2025
-
This is the kind of transformation the Rockies, who took Condon with the third pick in the ’24 Draft and signed him with a $9.25 million bonus, desperately need to go from slapstick comedy to serious contenders.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
13 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Clowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clowning. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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