clown

Examples

• All

• Get this clown trained.

  Tron (1982)

• There are people who think of Johnny as a clown and a buffoon.

  The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

• " Why had she let this clown come here with her?

  Fiction book (1999)

• You know what, I was always a clown when I walked in the room.

• "Hey," Natty calls, "what the hell were you two clowns doing out there?"

  Fiction book (1995)

• What a clown!

  Splinter (2023)

• OK, Sweet Tooth is this clown, and I think he's cursed.

• She makes balloon art and ran Harvard's charitable clown club Class Clowns for three years.

• Everyone laughed at the joke, but he just acted like a clown and made things worse.

• During the comedy show, he dressed up as a clown and made all the kids laugh.

Synonyms

B

buffoon

vsclown

• Offensive

43 7.4

A person who acts in a silly way to make others laugh

often shows rudeness or vulgarity rather than only amusing people

J

joker

vsclown

35 2.4

A person who likes to tell jokes and make others laugh

often includes rude or vulgar actions rather than only joking playfulness

F

fool

vsclown

• Archaic

31 8.8

An entertainer who amused a king or noble in the past

is a modern person behaving foolishly rather than a historical royal entertainer

C

class clown

vsclown

• Informal

9 3.4

A student who makes classmates laugh by acting silly in class

is similar foolish behaviour but not limited to classroom or students

Z

zany

vsclown

3 8.1

A person who acts in a funny, silly way to make people laugh

is more likely to behave rudely or vulgarly rather than comically

M

merry andrew

vsclown

• Offensive

1 9.9

A person who acts silly to make other people laugh

is more about light entertainment rather than rude or vulgar behaviour

P

punchinello

vsclown

• Archaic

1 9.9

A funny puppet or person who acts silly to make people laugh

is the broader modern term for general rude or foolish behaviour outside theatre

G

guignol

vsclown

• Offensive

9.9

A person who acts like a clown to make others laugh

focuses on theatrical exaggeration rather than rude or vulgar conduct

A

auguste

vsclown

• Jargon

9.9

A funny clown who acts silly and makes mistakes to make people laugh

is the general rude or vulgar persona rather than a specific theatrical role

Compounds

C

class clown

• Informal

9 3.4

A student who makes classmates laugh by acting silly in class

C

clown show

• Offensive

1 7.0

A very messy and badly organized event or situation

C

clown shoe

1 4.6

A very large shoe worn by clowns to look funny

C

clown anemone fish

7.9

A small bright orange fish with white stripes that lives among sea anemones for protection

C

clown prince

7.1

A person who is the funniest and most playful member of a group

C

clown-car primary

• Offensive

9.9

An election with too many messy candidates that makes it hard to pick one

How Foolish

idiot

• Offensive

∞ 1.2

simpleton

• Offensive

21 7.3

buffoon

• Offensive

43 7.4

clown

• Offensive

203 2.4

fool

• Offensive

∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

Etymology