1
as in harlequin
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
you should stay away from that clown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clown
Rebecca Deurlein, Southern Living, 22 July 2025
All of a sudden, now everybody's clowning around and no work is getting done.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Prater has pieces like John Wayne Gacy’s clown costume, Jeffrey Dahmer’s bloody fridge, Charles Manson’s guitar, and even more notably, the Trinity Killer’s hammer and the Bay Harbor Butcher’s blood slides.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Noun
That’s thanks to Toby’s Clown School, where people come from all over the world to train in the art of clowning.
—Rebecca Deurlein, Southern Living, 22 July 2025
All of a sudden, now everybody's clowning around and no work is getting done.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Verb
The sleeves are mismatched in length, the shoulders are off-kilter, the collar looks like a clown’s.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Prater has pieces like John Wayne Gacy’s clown costume, Jeffrey Dahmer’s bloody fridge, Charles Manson’s guitar, and even more notably, the Trinity Killer’s hammer and the Bay Harbor Butcher’s blood slides.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown
Noun
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Learn more about management options and which food plants are most susceptible to this insect in our harlequin bug on vegetables web page.—
Miri Talabac,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2025
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Once infused with the diabolical spirit, the guide is transformed into a buffoon, complete with a harlequin outfit—a mad joker and a dancing fool who does a little jig to the sound of a jazz trio.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Codependence can masquerade as closeness, slowly displacing everything that once belonged like a foreign weed introduced into a native garden.—
Eileen Kelly,
Vogue,
4 Aug. 2025
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Indeed, the popular joke is that Yale is a hedge fund masquerading as a university.—
Chris Powell,
Hartford Courant,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the meantime, the shark's meat has been cut up, filleted and put in coolers to be shared with friends and family, his wife Cynthia told ABC News.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
7 Aug. 2025
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Fiscally, the bill aimed to provide 39 million households tax cuts up to $3,600 by expanding the Child Tax Credit.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Capaldi himself was a phenomenal Doctor, bringing that trademark blend of grizzled warrior and cosmic buffoon, but his episodes were a bit hit-and-miss.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
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Problematic to be sure, but also a very in-character move for an ignorant buffoon.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Time,
6 May 2025
Noun
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Kaitlyn Santa Juana plays a college student who learns that her grandmother cheated Death decades ago, and now that jerk is coming to take out her whole family via various creatively gnarly, Rube Goldberg-esque kills.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
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Mid-performance, the prop jerks downward after slipping from its wire, causing a drop that nearly unseats her.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 July 2025
Verb
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In Skillman’s play, directed by Jessi D. Hill and starring Megan Hill, a woman enters with the accoutrement of close-up magic, in top hat and tails, and then proceeds to perform illusions by description and miming alone.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
22 July 2025
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Keeping things light, Springfield then mimed getting up to leave before sitting back with a smile.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
Noun
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The restaurant also has a stage and had been bringing in live music and comedians.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
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The comedian wrote a short but powerful caption to mark year nine on Instagram in August 2025.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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