CLOWN

clown, buffoon, goof, goofball, merry andrew

(noun) a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior

clown, buffoon

(noun) a rude or vulgar fool

clown, clown around, antic

(verb) act as or like a clown

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

clown (plural clowns)

A slapstick performance artist often associated with a circus and usually characterized by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly colored wig.

A person who acts in a silly fashion.

A stupid person.

(obsolete) A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor.

(obsolete) One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl; a yokel.

Synonyms

• (person who acts in a silly fashion): buffoon, fool

Verb

clown (third-person singular simple present clowns, present participle clowning, simple past and past participle clowned)

(intransitive) To act in a silly or playful fashion.

(transitive, African-American Vernacular) To ridicule.

Source: Wiktionary


Clown, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. klunni a clumsy, boorish fellow, North Fries. kl clown, dial. Sw. klunn log, Dan. klunt log block, and E. clump, n.]

1. A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor. Sir P. Sidney.

2. One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl. The clown, the child of nature, without guile. Cowper.

3. The fool or buffoon in a play, circus, etc. The clown shall make those laugh whose lungs are tickle o'the sere. Shak.

Clown, v. i.

Definition: To act as a clown; -- with it [Obs.] Beclowns it properly indeed. B. Jonson.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

15 April 2025

DOOMED

(adjective) marked by or promising bad fortune; “their business venture was doomed from the start”; “an ill-fated business venture”; “an ill-starred romance”; “the unlucky prisoner was again put in irons”- W.H.Prescott


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