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
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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
2
as in to cut up
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clown
Alida Becker, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Now, a scary new criminal clown has joined the ransomware circus and looks like making quite a splash as the first victims fall in less than two weeks after its launch.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
From Ice Cube and Chris Tucker clowning around in Friday, to Quvenzhané Wallis stealing hearts in Annie, the classics are ready to pull you right back in.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Noun
Menke is an inveterate clown whose life — and death — challenge conventional attempts to confront the horror of the Holocaust.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Now, a scary new criminal clown has joined the ransomware circus and looks like making quite a splash as the first victims fall in less than two weeks after its launch.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
The performance will feature a morbid dose of puppetry, clowning, dance, live music and stop-motion animation.
—Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025
From Ice Cube and Chris Tucker clowning around in Friday, to Quvenzhané Wallis stealing hearts in Annie, the classics are ready to pull you right back in.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown
Noun
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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
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But this harlequin moll can’t match Joker’s lunacy as either lawbreaker or musician.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The group later took heat for putting out what some saw as pop sensibility masquerading as punk.—
Mike Isaac,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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But maybe the greatest sin of all of this is how, as social media has been flooded by pure slop masquerading as Ghibli work, one of the company’s greatest and most eternally relevant films has returned to theaters now, more beautiful and brilliant than ever.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Skrillex has never restricted his distension of sonic materials to merely supersizing his bass lines, and among other things, the voices on this album are routinely phased and retuned and cut up.—
Michaelangelo Matos,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
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Here, Pulisic cuts up the left channel to offer a destination for a through ball.—
Jeff Rueter,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Adam Silver, once the model for league commissioners, is suddenly a buffoon?—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2025
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The character with which I have been identified, that of the raucous buffoon, is merely a studied portrayal.—
Bill Wyman,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Dig in: The meal is $75 and includes dishes like jerk chicken with rice and peas and coconut collard greens, cow heel soup and crawfish hushpuppies.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Axios,
24 Mar. 2025
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The Lion’s Tail is a transitional drink that tastes like if a Jamaican jerk chicken and a Whiskey Sour couldn’t keep their hands off each other.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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From the very beginnings of filmmaking, with Charlie Chaplin finding fame during the silent era through the use of miming, cinema has relied on more than just sound.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2025
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Around the five-second mark in the video, the toddler turns to the camera, still in her mom's arms, to mime along to an expletive in the GloRilla track playing over the video.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Elsewhere, two boys, Frank and Alain, get up to assorted mischief, sneaking onto a baseball diamond at night or horsing around on railroad tracks, although there are hints that Frank’s family may leave Cuba soon.—
Ben Kenigsberg,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
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In the video, Payne is shown horsing around with a large outdoor crowd and his bandmates, encouraging the fans to quiet their screaming and then raise the volume all the way back up.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Swardson is an actor, producer, screenwriter and stand-up comedian.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Mar. 2025
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And comedians themselves don’t necessarily consider their profession ideal for fostering a long-lasting romance.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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