clown car
Americannoun
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a very small car used in a comedic circus routine, in which the normal passenger capacity is greatly exceeded by the numerous clowns who climb out from inside.
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Informal. a group whose size seems absurdly excessive for the purported function of the group, and whose effectiveness is therefore questionable.
The planning committee has added yet another member to its clown car, almost guaranteeing further delays.
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Informal. a small car.
He used to call my old Beetle a clown car, but when gas prices soared, I got the last laugh.
Etymology
Origin of clown car
First recorded in 1950–55; from a comedy routine used in the Cole Bros. Circus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’d entered the league thrust into the position of savior, a 21-year-old high draft pick from USC trapped in a Meadowlands clown car.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
Though its height is that of a monster truck, it has the feel of a clown car.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2025
Rather, his show has a long track record of amplifying fringe science, conspiracy theory and baseless contrarianism, the very criticisms Hotez made in passing on getting into a clown car.
From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2023
Amid the clown car that has become the quick-serve industry, Chipotle has managed to maintain a shred of dignity, at least in terms of menu development, if not always with worker conditions.
From Washington Post • Sep. 13, 2022
They looked so ridiculous, and the collective array was so absurd, it was frequently described as the "clown car."
From Salon • May 8, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
