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
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
An 8-year-old girl fought off a man wearing a clown mask who police in Colorado reported attacked and attempted to kidnap her during a break-in at her family's home last week.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
Members of the troupe will be performing feats of juggling and foot-juggling, rola bola stunts, clowning and more.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown 
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.
Noun
It Chapter Two is down to clown, again — in a bloody, silly, overwrought sequel
Moving down the tension scale to thrillers, Netflix is offloading a few particularly popular titles.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
An 8-year-old girl fought off a man wearing a clown mask who police in Colorado reported attacked and attempted to kidnap her during a break-in at her family's home last week.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
But getting clowned on (and tea-bagged) by your victims?
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
Members of the troupe will be performing feats of juggling and foot-juggling, rola bola stunts, clowning and more.
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown
Articles Related to clown
Dictionary Entries Near clown
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 22 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share