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
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
Vincent Moleski, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2025
In the ‘30s and ‘40s, there were all these clowns trying to sell things, and then there was Krinkles the Clown trying to sell cereal [in the ‘50s].
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2025
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
On Sunday, Ja hopped on X to fire a few shots at 50 Cent, who clowned Ja’s appearance on The Breakfast Club last week.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
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Noun
Matthew Davies, 41, was taken into custody on suspicion of assaulting a man with a glass bottle while dressed up as a clown on Oct. 31, 2018, according to a news release issued by the department.
—Vincent Moleski, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2025
In the ‘30s and ‘40s, there were all these clowns trying to sell things, and then there was Krinkles the Clown trying to sell cereal [in the ‘50s].
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2025
Verb
A lot of people have been clowning Sanders for the fall, especially after going after multiple other quarterbacks, including his new teammate Dillon Gabriel, who went 94th overall.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
On Sunday, Ja hopped on X to fire a few shots at 50 Cent, who clowned Ja’s appearance on The Breakfast Club last week.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clown. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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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