clown

[kloun]

noun

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

Slang. a coarse, ill-bred person; a boor.
a peasant; rustic.

verb (used without object)

to act like a clown.

Origin of clown

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

Related formsclown·ish, adjectiveclown·ish·ly, adverbclown·ish·ness, noun

Synonyms for clown

3. lout, churl. 4. bumpkin.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for clowning

fool, jester, mime, buffoon, comedian, comic, prankster, lout, cut-up, madcap, harlequin, wag, ribald, jokester, punch, joker, mountebank, wit, zany, antic

Examples from the Web for clowning

Contemporary Examples of clowning

Between all the clowning, the show cycled through dozens and dozens of singers.
'American Idol' Premiere Review: The Clown Show Is Back and We Love It
Kevin Fallon
January 16, 2014
He told Mohammed that he was just there clowning and that Mo had a real shot and could have his spot.
The Next Arab Idol: Palestine's Boy Wonder and Stereotype Buster
Maysoon Zayid
May 22, 2013

Historical Examples of clowning

Do you think we will let you ruin everything by your clowning?
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
"All for your good," said Torpenhow, not in the least with reference to past clowning.
The Works of Rudyard Kipling: One Volume Edition
Rudyard Kipling
Like everything else in this busy world, clowning must be timely.
The Autobiography of a Clown
Isaac Frederick Marcosson
At every piece of clowning there was the same responsive gurgle of delight.
Plays, Acting and Music
Arthur Symons
And his clowning and mugging made it impossible to play a legitimate scene with him, with any shadow of professional self-respect.
The Real Adventure
Henry Kitchell Webster

British Dictionary definitions for clowning

clown

noun

a comic entertainer, usually grotesquely costumed and made up, appearing in the circus
any performer who elicits an amused response
someone who plays jokes or tricks
a person who acts in a comic or buffoon-like manner
a coarse clumsy rude person; boor
archaic a countryman or rustic

verb (intr)

to perform as a clown
to play jokes or tricks
to act foolishly

Derived Formsclownery, nounclownish, adjectiveclownishly, adverbclownishness, noun

Word Origin for clown

C16: perhaps of Low German origin; compare Frisian klönne, Icelandic klunni clumsy fellow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for clowning

1861, verbal noun from clown (v.).

clown

1560s, clowne, also cloyne, "rustic, boor, peasant," origin uncertain. Perhaps from Scandinavian dialect (cf. Icelandic klunni "clumsy, boorish fellow;" Swedish kluns "a hard knob; a clumsy fellow," Danish klunt "log, block"), or akin to North Frisian klönne "clumsy person." Or, less likely, from Latin colonus "colonist, farmer," though awareness of this word might have influenced the sense development in English.

Meaning "professional fool, professional or habitual jester" is c.1600. "The pantomime clown represents a blend of the Shakes[pearean] rustic with one of the stock types of the It. comedy" [Weekley]. Meaning "contemptible person" is from 1920s. Fem. form clowness attested from 1801.

clown

c.1600, "to play the clown onstage," from clown (n.); colloquial sense of "to behave inappropriately" (e.g. clown around, 1932) attested by 1928, perhaps from theatrical slang sense of "play a (non-comical) part farcically or comically" (1891). Related: Clowned; clowning.