clown
[ kloun ]
/ klaʊn /
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.
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Origin of clown
1555–65; earlier cloyne, clowne, perhaps akin to Old Norse klunni boor, Danish dialect klunds, Swedish dialect klunn log
OTHER WORDS FROM clown
clown·ish, adjectiveclown·ish·ly, adverbclown·ish·ness, nounWords nearby clown
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for clowning
British Dictionary definitions for clowning
clown
/ (klaʊn) /
noun
verb (intr)
Derived forms of clown
clownery, nounclownish, adjectiveclownishly, adverbclownishness, nounWord Origin for clown
C16: perhaps of Low German origin; compare Frisian klönne, Icelandic klunni clumsy fellow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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