clown
Use Clown in a sentence
noun
1.
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.
2.
a person who acts like a clown; comedian; joker; buffoon; jester.
3.
a prankster; a practical joker.
4.
Slang. a coarse, ill-bred person; a boor.
5.
a peasant; rustic.
verb (used without object)
6.
to act like a clown.
00:10
Clown
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to flee; abscond: |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Origin:
1555–65; earlier cloyne, clowne, perhaps akin to Old Norse klunni boor, Danish dialect klunds, Swedish dialect klunn log
1555–65; earlier cloyne, clowne, perhaps akin to Old Norse klunni boor, Danish dialect klunds, Swedish dialect klunn log
Related forms
clown·ish, adjective
clown·ish·ly, adverb
clown·ish·ness, noun
Synonyms
3. lout, churl. 4. bumpkin.
3. lout, churl. 4. bumpkin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To clown
Collins
World English Dictionary
clown (klaʊn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a comic entertainer, usually grotesquely costumed and made up, appearing in the circus |
| 2. | any performer who elicits an amused response |
| 3. | someone who plays jokes or tricks |
| 4. | a person who acts in a comic or buffoon-like manner |
| 5. | a coarse clumsy rude person; boor |
| 6. | archaic a countryman or rustic |
| —vb | |
| 7. | to perform as a clown |
| 8. | to play jokes or tricks |
| 9. | to act foolishly |
| [C16: perhaps of Low German origin; compare Frisian klönne, Icelandic klunni clumsy fellow] | |
| 'clownery | |
| —n | |
| 'clownish | |
| —adj | |
| 'clownishly | |
| —adv | |
| 'clownishness | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
clown
1560s, origin uncertain. Perhaps from Scand. dial., or akin to N.Fris. klonne "clumsy person," or, less likely, from L. colonus "colonist, farmer," hence, "rustic, boor," which apparently was the earliest Eng. sense.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
clown definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
As the battery discharges, lithium ions diffuse into the water, but the device doesn't harm the surrounding clown fish.
Every clown can find fault though it would puzzle him to do better.
To say that the other candidates are part of the clown car brigade is an insult to clown car brigades.
The hostess gave us plates of cake and bags of candy, and the clown gave me a hug.
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