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

One morning during my stay, there were even clowns buzzing about—a thrill to receive a balloon poodle alongside my morning flat white. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026 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

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

The Perk That Actually Works For years, companies have competed to fill their offices with amenities meant to signal ambition—ping pong tables, nap rooms, office dogs, sprawling lounges.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
The search continued at Coes Reservoir on Friday with marine units, helicopters, sonar and dogs, according to CNN affiliate WCVB.

— Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 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

According to McGrady, the only royal who didn’t enjoy the time away in the Highlands was the late Princess Diana, who didn’t fit in with the family’s outdoorsy vibes and didn’t enjoy riding horses around the property due to a fall as a child.

— Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.

— Stephen Whyno, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026

Definition of horses around

Noun

The phone-comedy discussion followed a scene in which Julie Kessler and Billy Epstein, the proudly embittered struggling comedians played by Klausner and Eichner, confront an up-and-coming digital creator.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Cook would go on to become one of the most popular comedians of the early 2000s, while McCauley took on a job as a corrections officer and would later handle his brother’s finances directly.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of comedians

Noun

That screwed up the works / And not due to his sloppy hiring / Of a crew of incompetent jerks.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.

— William Earl, Variety, 10 June 2026

Definition of jerks

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

The jokers Toth and Jackson, bless them, keep things endearing and funny.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
At some point, all these jokers need to sit down and stop auditioning for attention long enough to actually do the jobs they were elected or appointed to do.

— Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026