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clowning

  • present participle
    of clown.
    clown
    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.

Example Sentences

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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

Therapists sometimes even recommend their patients take clowning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The wily, frizzy-haired Frenchman with red-framed spectacles taught Zucker everything he knows about clowning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

But Owen had been so busy clowning around to get George to lighten up that he’d forgotten to grab the shotgun from the snowmobile.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz