CLOWNS Synonyms: 211 Similar and Opposite Words

clowns 1 of 2

noun

plural of clown

as in harlequins

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

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as in bastards

a person whose behavior is offensive to others you should stay away from that clown

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

clowns

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of clown

as in mimes

Related Words

as in horses around

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of clowns

Noun

Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 Hang out with sheep, meet magicians and clowns and explore the amusement park. — Cole Premo, CBS News, 29 June 2026 The only leaders more buffoonish and lethal than the fairground hucksters elected in our failing democracies are the omnipotent clowns of tyranny. — Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination. — Alison Herman, Variety, 17 June 2026 Bunch of virtue signaling clowns! — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026 The tumbles and trust falls might start to scare you, but this is hardly these clowns’ first rodeo. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 June 2026 In showcasing the comedy and entertainment skills of drag queens, rather than the lip-syncing talents most people might be familiar with, the movie in effect asks critics of drag what exactly is so scary about a bunch of glamorous clowns. — David MacK, CNN Money, 10 June 2026 Grotesque sea hags, killer clowns, demonic self-help books and more plague the town and its mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys). — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clowns

Noun

The two buffoons shave her head, chain her in the basement of a messy remote home and then accuse her of being an alien.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
But times have changed, and this team of buffoons is forced to grapple with changing industry ethics and sensationalist journalism in its transition, all while Ron faces an identity crisis that challenges his bravado, his massive ego.

— Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Definition of buffoons

Noun

On the other side are industry advocates, who say the animals are well cared for, the stables are fine and the owners and drivers love their horses like most pet owners love their dogs.

— Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
This one, by Adrián Xuana (San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca), is a towering, spindly incarnation of a xoloitzcuintli, those hairless Mexican dogs believed to guide spirits through the underworld.

— Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 July 2026

Definition of dogs

Verb

The track apes the softly anthemic approach of U2, Coldplay, and the National—until all of that elegant uplift topples like an overly ambitious wedding cake.

— Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
But if getting Andy back in the Runway fold feels a lot like getting her into it in the first film, that feeling will only persist, as the sequel apes the original feature nearly beat for beat, with some small swaps here and there.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026

Definition of apes

Verb

The new congressional map in Virginia effectively cuts up the state’s 11 House districts to give Democrats an advantage in 10 of them.

— Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
How to Prune Viburnum Use sharp hand pruners for smaller cuts up to the diameter of a pencil, and loppers or a pruning saw for larger cuts.

— Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Feb. 2026

Definition of cuts up

Noun

Like any public hearing, there were a few jokers who had some strange outbursts, but the majority of the over a dozen speakers weren’t satisfied with Gower’s presentation and used their times to ask questions of the owners as to what has taken so long with this project.

— Brian Welk, IndieWire, 12 May 2026
Students are required to bring two full decks of cards including the jokers.

— Kris Slugg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026