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

SYNONYMS FOR clown

3 lout, churl.

4 bumpkin.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR clown ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM clown

clown·ish, adjective clown·ish·ly, adverb clown·ish·ness, noun

Words nearby clown

cloverleaf aerial, clovis, clovis i, clovis point, clowder, clown, clown anemone, clown car, clown white, clownery, cloxacillin

Example sentences from the Web for clownish

And there are going to be some very savvy candidates, not just clownish flame-outs like Herman Cain.

GOP’s Strong Field Has No Frontrunner for 2016 |Mark McKinnon |March 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And it's quite clear they thought Mitt Romney's choice of a running mate was a clownish decision.

When You Can't Run As a Moderate in 2012... |Justin Green |November 8, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The closest we came to heat was the alleged philandering of the clownish Herman Cain.

A Crying Toddler Viral Video Reflects Cranky, Exhausting Election |Michelle Cottle |November 2, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
“I mean, this is the greatest country in the world, and you have this clownish performance by Senator Johnson,” he says.

David Obey's Debt Frustration |McKay Coppins |July 22, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

He has a history with anxiety that's at odds with his clownish public front.

John Mayer: Artist or Clown? |Erin Carlson |November 18, 2009 |DAILY BEAST
He turned to the court with a clownish gesture of the hands, expressive of his utter inability to stop this thing.

The Bondboy |George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Action and annoyance and clownish gambols had chanced to supply the needed impetus to bring her back to normality.

Buff: A Collie and other dog-stories |Albert Payson Terhune
In a clownish, lubberly sort of way, he seemed to be taking good, kind care of her.

Continental Monthly, Vol. I, No. V, May, 1862 |Various
His opponents called him clownish; his friends declared him Lincolnesque.

The Agrarian Crusade |Solon J. Buck
I was seized with certain misgivings and flutterings which a clownish education may account for.

Arthur Mervyn |Charles Brockden Brown

British Dictionary definitions for clownish

clown

/ (klaʊn) /

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 forms of clown

clownery, noun clownish, adjective clownishly, adverb clownishness, noun

Word Origin for clown

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

clown

noun

verb (used without object)

Origin of clown

SYNONYMS FOR clown

OTHER WORDS FROM clown

Words nearby clown

Example sentences from the Web for clownish

British Dictionary definitions for clownish

noun

verb (intr)

Derived forms of clown

Word Origin for clown

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

clown

noun

verb (used without object)

Origin of clown

SYNONYMS FOR clown

OTHER WORDS FROM clown

Words nearby clown

Words related to clownish

Example sentences from the Web for clownish

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for clownish

noun

verb (intr)

Derived forms of clown

Word Origin for clown

British Dictionary definitions for clownish