clowned (around)

verb

past tense of clown (around)
as in horsed around
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior as a youngster he was always clowning around in the classroom

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clowned (around)
  1. cut up
  2. fooled around
  3. acted up
  4. showed off
Verb
  • Cityside, guests can head to the thumping heart of Austin nightlife where the Live Music Capital of the World always has a new favorite act and dance floor to cut up waiting just around the corner.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In July, the Public Service Commission requested utilities submit plans to cut up to 45% of savings from the program.
    — Tom Nyein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of cut up
Verb
  • Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.
    — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of fooled around
Verb
  • And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Definition of acted up
Verb
  • Keri Russell once again showed off her impressive foot arch in a dramatically steep pair of minimalist mules.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In December 2021, Yu showed off the first car with Huawei's tech installed, the Aito M5.
    — Matthew Tan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of showed off
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

clowned
clowned (around)
clownery
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Cite this Entry

“Clowned (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clowned%20%28around%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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