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.
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, adjective clown·ish·ly, adverb clown·ish·ness, nounWords nearby clown
Example sentences from the Web for clown
British Dictionary definitions for clown
clown
/ (klaʊn) /
noun
verb (intr)
Derived forms of clown
clownery, noun clownish, adjective clownishly, adverb clownishness, nounWord Origin for clown
C16: perhaps of Low German origin; compare Frisian
klönne, Icelandic
klunni clumsy fellow