play the clown

idiom

: to try to make people laugh
He was always playing the clown.

Examples of play the clown in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Henderson could play the clown, but was not a screwball. Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2023

Dictionary Entries Near play the clown

Cite this Entry

“Play the clown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20clown. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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