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
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1
2
as in to cut up
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of clown
Filip Timotija, The Hill, 28 Nov. 2024
The festivities will include 22 balloons, 34 floats, over 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, and 10 performance groups.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 27 Nov. 2024
Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 24 Sep. 2024
Carbajal does some dapper clowning around and Morales-Woolery is a very funny faux pugilist but the comedy never quite catches fire.
—Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clown 
Noun
Despite the rain in New York City, marchers kicked off the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday morning with a bevy of marching bands, clowns and performances from various artists.
—Verb
Dash later attempted to squash any jokes by stating that his grill fell out of his mouth, but 50 had already moved to clown the mogul for the mishap.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for clown
Noun
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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
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The doll, which is called the Witch Weaver, wears flared bell-bottoms, a gossamer harlequin blouse, gold waistcoat and crystal headpiece — taking inspiration from Reed’s signature design codes, personal style and even Lady Gaga.Violet Goldstone, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Without that foundation, Myrick says, businesses are selling little more than the chance to talk to a stranger masquerading as a friend.Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
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Can-Am had flown me to this pizza oven masquerading as a state to ride both of its new electric bikes, the dual-sport Origin ($14,999 and up) and the naked Pulse ($13,999 and up).Roberto Baldwin, WIRED, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
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For example, the Everglades lost at least 70% of its tree island land cover since 1940 as the land has been cut up into sections that either dry out or flood.Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 23 Oct. 2024
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How To Make Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Prep bacon: To make this recipe even easier, cut up your bacon before cooking it.Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Meanwhile, countries across the world are again suffering an onslaught of demagogues, many of them preening buffoons who have recast themselves as visionary strongmen—much as D’Annunzio did.Pankaj Mishra, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2016
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Even if the author wrote in paragraph-length, punctuation-free sentences of Biblical prose, and the filmmakers prefer to express themselves through rambling conversations between cinematic buffoons, their work is bound together by an exacting consideration to every word.IndieWire Staff, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Jeff Goldblum plays the Wizard of Oz, a lanky charmer who might be a jerk at best and a puppet of fascists at worst.Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 20 Nov. 2024
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Johnson stars as Callum Drift, head of security for St. Nicholas (J.K. Simmons), and the beefy bodyguard is retiring after 540 years on the job because, well, people turn into jerks at Christmas.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
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In moments like that, Walker’s character might be miming about fisting, but The Big Gay Jamboree’s heart is on its sleeve.Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
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Most of us were able to chat and wander around in the virtual space together, but one person was stuck miming and occasionally pinging us in Slack.Eric Ravenscraft, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2023
Verb
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After five teenage boys are shown horsing around on a Malibu beach for a few seconds, the shot dissolves into Liam’s perfect coif, his unbuttoned shirt, his disarming smile.Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
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The Game of Thrones alum, 28, was seen horsing around with the British aristocrat at a polo match at his family's estate in West Sussex, England on Saturday, June 29.Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 3 July 2024
Noun
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In an interview with Men’s Health, published Nov. 19, the comedian, 58, discussed his weight loss journey and new stand-up special, The Skinny.Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024
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And later in 2025, comedian John Mulaney will host a live, weekly talk/variety show for Netflix — but Bajaria didn’t have any further updates on when that might launch.Michael Schneider, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clown. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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