as in joking
wildly playful or mischievous behavior
our coworker's clowning was distracting, but fun to watch
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
as in masquerading
Related Words
2
as in cutting up
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of clowning
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
With an impressive ability to do accents and a background in clowning, Storrie is made for this.
—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
The balance is also what clowning is.
—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
There’s no grandstanding, no frantic clowning.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.
—
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
The clowning might be a little too effortful.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
As the race unfolds in real time, there’s clowning, collisions, sabotage, surprises, comedy, chaos and more.
—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Yes, this is the modern clowning that all the thinkpieces are thinking about.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
With an impressive ability to do accents and a background in clowning, Storrie is made for this.
—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
The balance is also what clowning is.
—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
There’s no grandstanding, no frantic clowning.
—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
The clowning isn’t over just yet, though.
—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
As with older clowning traditions, the early American circus clowns were adults performing taboo acts to shock and delight other adults.
—
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clowning
Noun
-
Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Verb
-
Some of the most notable moments show Atlas imitating human emotional reactions.
-
To celebrate, Gazza lay down on the grass and opened his mouth wide, imitating the dentist’s chair that had got him and his team-mates into so much bother a few weeks earlier.
Verb
-
Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.
-
Always cutting up and making memories.
Noun
-
Without Roberts in charge, expect the political and racial buffoonery to creep back into the conversation at ESPN.
-
The show, with its interest in corporate buffoonery, doesn’t quite manage to hand-wave away the queasy implications.
Verb
-
When this happens, the oven continues to generate microwaves that rapidly change frequency as the power dies off over a fraction of a second, mimicking dispersion.
-
Players take on the role of a Ditto capable of mimicking its human trainer, and the Pokémon is thrown into a world devoid of humans.
Verb
-
Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.
-
In April 2020, Iglesias shared a video of him horsing around with Lucy and Nicholas as the pair attempted to climb on his back for a ride.
Noun
-
The project has been plagued by technical issues, supplier disputes, and alleged tomfoolery—empty mini tequila bottles were reportedly discovered on one of the airplanes under construction.
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The latest tomfoolery consisted of a posting on Twitter/X last week that provided a picture of a genuine Monet painting, and the picture was labeled as supposedly being AI-generated.
Verb
-
Ficarra is a brilliant clown — his part is all miming — and also the most level-headed of these characters.
-
Müldür immediately ran off towards the assistant referee, pointing at Almirón and miming the action the Atlanta United forward had done.
Cite this Entry
“Clowning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clowning. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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