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
Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Unlike past attempts at fictionalizing his life, Macmanus barely touches on the fact that Gacy had a hobby of dressing up like a clown, and doesn’t show any actual murders in the series.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Bill Skarsgård returns as killer clown Pennywise.
—Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clown
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Noun
This guy might be single-handedly responsible for generations of people having an irrational fear of clowns.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Unlike past attempts at fictionalizing his life, Macmanus barely touches on the fact that Gacy had a hobby of dressing up like a clown, and doesn’t show any actual murders in the series.
—Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
In a separate interview on One Night with Steiny, 6ix9ine clowned his longtime foe Lil Tjay for being shot at a Chipotle in New Jersey back in 2022.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Bill Skarsgård returns as killer clown Pennywise.
—Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 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 29 Oct. 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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