Definition of Clown

1. Noun. A rude or vulgar fool.

Exact synonyms: Buffoon
Specialized synonyms: Pantaloon
Generic synonyms: Fool, Muggins, Sap, Saphead, Tomfool

2. Verb. Act as or like a clown.
Exact synonyms: Antic, Clown Around
Generic synonyms: Jest, Joke
Derivative terms: Antic, Clowning, Clowning

3. Noun. A person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior.
Exact synonyms: Buffoon, Goof, Goofball, Merry Andrew
Generic synonyms: Comedian, Comic
Specialized synonyms: Harlequin, Fool, Jester, Motley Fool, Whiteface, Zany
Specialized synonyms: Emmett Kelly, Kelly, Weary Willie
Derivative terms: Goof, Goofy

Definition of Clown

1. n. A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an ill-bred person; a boor.

2. v. i. To act as a clown; -- with it.

Definition of Clown

1. Noun. A performance artist often associated with a circus and typically characterised by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly colored wig and who performs slapstick. ¹

2. Noun. A person who acts in a silly fashion. ¹

3. Verb. To act in a silly fashion. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Clown

1. to act like a clown (a humorous performer) [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Clown

cloverleaf skull syndrome
cloverleafed
cloverleafing
cloverleafs
cloverleaves
cloverlike
cloveroot
clovers
clovery
cloves
clow
clowd
clowder
clowders
clowlike
clown (current term)
clown about
clown anemone fish
clown around
clown car
clown cars
clown doctor
clown doctors
clown shoe
clown shoes
clownage
clowned
clowneries
clownery
clownfish

Literary usage of Clown

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Shakespeare's Tragedy of Hamlet: A Study for Classes in English Literature by William Shakespeare (1892)
"First clown. A' was the first that ever bore arms. Second clown. Why, he had none. First clown. What, art a heathen? How dost thou understand the Scripture? ..."

2. The Chief Elizabethan Dramatists, Excluding Shakespeare by William Allan Neilson (1911)
"clown. How ? My soul to the Devil for a shoulder of mutton, ... clown. Mass, but for the name of French crowns, a man were as good have as many Eng- Wag. ..."

3. Punch by Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman (1879)
"Enter clown, clinging to the tail of a Comet, and Pantaloon in a balloon. As clown describes a parabolic curre round the Sun, Comet's tail drops off, ..."

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