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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown (around)
Verb
-
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 -
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
Verb
-
Those who crave the thrill of a victory may embody the competitor. Bigger, bolder personalities may shine as jokers, always fooling around, or as storytellers, bringing imagination to life.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
23 Feb. 2025
-
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Customers who attended the events were among the first to pick up the new Model Y. Prior-generation Model Y inventory gets big price cuts up to $6,900 Some of the prior-generation Model Y on the inventory page are discounted between $3,000 and $7,000.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
-
Speaking as someone who is just as likely to slice up his fingers as cut a cucumber into thin, appetizing slices, a vegetable chopper can remove the work (and pain) that goes into cutting up vegetables, fruits and other foods.—
Ho Lin,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Joe Jonas‘ upcoming solo album is officially arriving on May 23, as revealed in an Instagram video the superstar shared on Wednesday (March 26) showing off the vinyl edition of the project.—
Rania Aniftos,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed the Duchess’s whimsical gardening gloves amongst the flowers and wicker baskets, and what was once just another planting tool is now an opportunity to show off your style.—
Nora Taylor,
Architectural Digest,
24 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Clown (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown%20%28around%29. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share