1
: farmer, countryman
2
: a rude ill-bred person : boor
3
a
: a fool, jester, or comedian in an entertainment (such as a play)
specifically
: a grotesquely dressed comedy performer in a circus
b
: a person who habitually jokes and plays the buffoon
c
clowned; clowning; clowns
: to act as or like a clown
always clowning around
Synonyms
Examples of clown in a Sentence
Noun
Those big shoes make you look like a clown!
Who's the clown standing in the middle of the road?
those clowns at the state capital
Recent Examples on the Web
Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
Even after the four-star generals quit the cabinet, insecure clowns are the ones who will kill us all.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024
Joker even meets and falls in love with another clown, the troubled Mr. J (Kane Distler), a trans man with a mysterious past.
—Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
Leigh Gill, who portrayed Fleck's clown coworker, Gary, will also return for the sequel, as will Sharon Washington, who played Fleck's social worker.
—EW.com, 10 Apr. 2024
Paz, also a performing clown, has been training a group of about a dozen students for the circus for the past three months.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Only an intellectual clown would compare that to what Biden is doing now with student loans.
— Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., recipient of $616,241 in pandemic relief
That’s a really unfair comparison, the argument goes, because the PPP loans were never intended to be paid back.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
But what struck me was the talking black cat and the killer clown having a shoot-out with the KGB, bullets flying everywhere, and, impossibly, no one getting hit.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Sad clown Vanya falls for Yelena, who also catches the eye of a local doctor, Astrov; Astrov, meanwhile, is adored by Sonya.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2021, there was Brian Kelly, then a 60-year-old son of Chelsea, Mass., and head coach of the Louisiana State football team, who tried on a Southern accent in a speech during a men’s basketball game and was instantly clowned for it.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
This cirque show combines acrobatic performance with the art of clowning while exploring fear, identity, recognition and power.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The Padres are in spring training now, so From the Archives goes back to 1965 for this photo of Padre Tommy Helms clowning around trying to cool off the hot bat of teammate Lee May.
—U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
For her, there is no clowning around with soft-serve ice cream or fancier flavors, such as the ubiquitous salted caramel.
—Jill Wendholt Silva, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
University of South Wales researchers surveyed 528 people who expressed a fear of clowns or the act of clowning.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2023
From matching ensembles to clowning each other, here are Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' most memorable friendship moments.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023
While laughing and clowning around, Zendaya struck a pose — an iconic pose.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
Noun
Coincidentally, Michael’s grandfather, Rub Simmonds, was a professional clown with the Cole Brothers in the 1940s.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
Even after the four-star generals quit the cabinet, insecure clowns are the ones who will kill us all.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024
Joker even meets and falls in love with another clown, the troubled Mr. J (Kane Distler), a trans man with a mysterious past.
—Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
Leigh Gill, who portrayed Fleck's clown coworker, Gary, will also return for the sequel, as will Sharon Washington, who played Fleck's social worker.
—EW.com, 10 Apr. 2024
Paz, also a performing clown, has been training a group of about a dozen students for the circus for the past three months.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Only an intellectual clown would compare that to what Biden is doing now with student loans.
— Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., recipient of $616,241 in pandemic relief
That’s a really unfair comparison, the argument goes, because the PPP loans were never intended to be paid back.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
But what struck me was the talking black cat and the killer clown having a shoot-out with the KGB, bullets flying everywhere, and, impossibly, no one getting hit.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Sad clown Vanya falls for Yelena, who also catches the eye of a local doctor, Astrov; Astrov, meanwhile, is adored by Sonya.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
For about a year now, the 33-year-old most famous for podcast appearances and for clowning folks on social media has journaled.
—Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 12 Apr. 2024
In 2021, there was Brian Kelly, then a 60-year-old son of Chelsea, Mass., and head coach of the Louisiana State football team, who tried on a Southern accent in a speech during a men’s basketball game and was instantly clowned for it.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
This cirque show combines acrobatic performance with the art of clowning while exploring fear, identity, recognition and power.
—Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The Padres are in spring training now, so From the Archives goes back to 1965 for this photo of Padre Tommy Helms clowning around trying to cool off the hot bat of teammate Lee May.
—U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
For her, there is no clowning around with soft-serve ice cream or fancier flavors, such as the ubiquitous salted caramel.
—Jill Wendholt Silva, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
University of South Wales researchers surveyed 528 people who expressed a fear of clowns or the act of clowning.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Dec. 2023
From matching ensembles to clowning each other, here are Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes' most memorable friendship moments.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023
While laughing and clowning around, Zendaya struck a pose — an iconic pose.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 2 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clown
1 of 2 noun1
: a rude and often stupid person
2
: a performer (as in a play or circus) who usually wears funny clothes and makeup and tries to make people laugh
clownish
adjective
ˈklau̇-nish
clownishly
adverb
clownishness
noun
clown
2 of 2 verb
: to act like a clown
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