clowning 1 of 2

clowning

2 of 2

verb

present participle of clown

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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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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