as in to horse around
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
as a youngster he was always clowning around in the classroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown (around)
Verb
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Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026 -
But Andrew continued to live at the home and was often seen riding his horse around Windsor Great Park and photographed waving to crowds.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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And there’s this: No fooling around in mid-June and having a life event get in the way of the March Madness get-together nine months later.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Most Popular Notorious murderer Richard Crafts, who used a chain saw to cut up his wife’s body and a wood chipper to dispose of it, is out of prison and living in a halfway house, a state Department of Correction spokeswoman said Friday.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
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When the singing was done Ma Binney brought me back to her tent and cut up a tomato, put it between two slices of bread, and served it to me on a china plate taken from a wooden chest next to her bed-roll.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Lancers showed off outstanding pitching, starting with Gary Morse striking out 16 in their opener.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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UConn’s Chris Freeman showed off an NFL-caliber leg, kicking a 65-yard field goal.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Clown (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown%20%28around%29. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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