clown

American  

[klaun] / klaʊn /

noun

• clowns
  plural

1. a comic performer, as in a circus, theatrical production, or the like, who wears an outlandish costume and makeup and entertains by pantomiming common situations or actions in exaggerated or ridiculous fashion, by juggling or tumbling, etc.

2. a person who acts like a clown; comedian; joker; buffoon; jester.

3. a prankster; a practical joker.

   Synonyms:

   churl, lout

4. Slang. a coarse, ill-bred person; a boor.

   Synonyms:

   bumpkin

5. a peasant; rustic.

---

verb (used without object)

• clowns,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clowned,
  past participle,  past
• clowning
  present participle

1. to act like a clown.

clown British  

/ klaʊn /

noun

1. a comic entertainer, usually grotesquely costumed and made up, appearing in the circus

2. any performer who elicits an amused response

3. someone who plays jokes or tricks

4. a person who acts in a comic or buffoon-like manner

5. a coarse clumsy rude person; boor

6. archaic a countryman or rustic

---

verb

1. to perform as a clown

2. to play jokes or tricks

3. to act foolishly

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clownery
  noun
• clownishness
  noun
• clownish
  adjective
• clownishly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clowns
  plural

Participles

• clowning
  present
• clowned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• clown
  simple
• clowns
  simple
• have clowned
  perfect
• has clowned
  perfect
• am clowning
  progressive
• are clowning
  progressive
• is clowning
  progressive
• have been clowning
  perfect progressive
• has been clowning
  perfect progressive

Past

• clowned
  simple
• had clowned
  perfect
• was clowning
  progressive
• were clowning
  progressive
• had been clowning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clown
  simple
• will have clowned
  perfect
• will be clowning
  progressive
• will have been clowning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of clown

1555–65; earlier cloyne, clowne, perhaps akin to Old Norse klunni boor, Danish dialect klunds, Swedish dialect klunn log

Explanation

A clown is someone who makes people laugh, like the guy with the red nose and oversize polka dotted tie. It can also be an insult — a rude buffoon can be called a clown. To clown means to act goofy. The clowns found at circuses and birthday parties usually wear makeup and big shoes, but funny people in regular clothes are often called clowns, too, as in the class clown who tells jokes in school. Also, someone obnoxious can be called a clown, as in “that clown wrecked my car!” Acting like a clown in any way is clowning. A teacher trying to get the attention of kids who are fooling around might say, "Stop clowning around!”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clown clowns clowned clowning

Mocha, who describes herself as a "fashion clown" and musical theatre lover, says it has taken her nearly a decade to get to this stage but feels it is the "right time".

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

A child could eat the fries and then go home and watch the clown who sold them solve a mystery.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

The actor also played fearsome clown Pennywise in the 1990 TV version of Stephen King's It, and was Long John Silver in 1996's Muppet Treasure Island.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

And like any good clown, he did it with exaggerated aplomb, vigorously pounding a small drum when he found a performance lacking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Was I the dying clown? Clowns are the worst.”

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Others—depicting grinning clowns, crying women and morphing objects and creatures, including human figures potted like plants—recall children’s drawings and John Tenniel’s illustrations for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

"We are F1 drivers. We should not look like kids and clowns trying to ram into each other. That's not what F1 needs."

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

For the new movie, he wanted to pay homage to Hollywood’s silent clowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Say you don’t pay much attention to the nitty-gritty of politics and think they’re all a bunch of clowns.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026

Everybody puts on a show in the A train circus, not to mention all the clowns who get on.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

“Strangers clowned us,” former Ambassadors player Victoria Henson told me the other day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

His song Thick Of It, which features Trippie Redd, was nominated for song of the year - despite being something he was "clowned for".

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025

I got clowned, sure, but I had the foresight to know how chic a big bag is.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2024

Morale seemed high among Granite’s troops this week, as a short-range team clowned around despite being on duty long into the early morning hours as Kyiv’s air defenses took down 35 explosive Iranian-made Shahed drones.

From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2023

She laughed when I clowned for her, and smiled and accepted gracefully the food gifts my sister gave her.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

Now even Dolly-esque clowning can’t save country music’s current stars from having to take unambiguous positions.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

But Yale drama professor Christopher Bayes has a word of warning for those expecting his clowning classes to function as a form of treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Traditional sports classes weren’t appealing, so Alston landed on circus clowning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

An audience expecting acrobatic basketball stunts and on-court clowning set to “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the Globetrotters’ signature song, was instead treated to a real, close-fought exhibition.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Passes them out to Gistan’s boys clowning on the curb.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• buffoon
• comedian
• comic
• fool
• jester
• mime
• prankster