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
Verb
as a youngster he was always clowning around in the classroom
Recent Examples on the Web
Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
The archetype of the killer clown might seem overdone, but Art the Clown of the Terrifier franchise has emerged as a contemporary horror icon, up there with Chucky, Freddy, Jason, Jigsaw and Pennywise.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Bryan West, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
Dash later attempted to squash any jokes by stating that his grill fell out of his mouth, but 50 had already moved to clown the mogul for the mishap.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown 
Noun
After beating the Mets to reach the World Series, several Dodgers players wore clown masks designed by legendary L.A. artist Mister Cartoon.
—Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
The archetype of the killer clown might seem overdone, but Art the Clown of the Terrifier franchise has emerged as a contemporary horror icon, up there with Chucky, Freddy, Jason, Jigsaw and Pennywise.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
Time will tell, and fans will pass that time clowning.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024
Dash later attempted to squash any jokes by stating that his grill fell out of his mouth, but 50 had already moved to clown the mogul for the mishap.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown
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 30 Oct. 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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