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
Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 24 May 2024
Spectators lining the sidewalks will cheer on marching bands, clowns on stilts, and people racing each other in bathtubs fitted with wheels.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown 
Noun
Furiosa is a roaring death-metal fantasy set in a steampunk wasteland of desperate, vicious survivors, many of them grotesque mutants who suggest a circus troupe of killer clowns.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 24 May 2024
Spectators lining the sidewalks will cheer on marching bands, clowns on stilts, and people racing each other in bathtubs fitted with wheels.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 28 May. 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
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