# clown about

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/clown-about
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to behave in a silly or funny way to make people laugh.

For teachers: to engage in silly, playful, or foolish behavior, often to amuse others or to avoid being serious; carries a colloquial register.

## Examples

- Stop clowning about and finish your homework.
- The children were clowning about in the garden while their parents tried to have a serious conversation.
- The director grew frustrated when the lead actors continued clowning about on set instead of rehearsing the final dramatic scene.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He was clowning about the room." but "He was clowning about." — in this sense, 'about' is an adverbial particle, not a preposition, so it does not usually take a direct object of place.

## Usage notes

- often used in the continuous form to describe ongoing behavior.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'mess around' or 'fool around'; 'clown about' specifically evokes the image of a circus performer and is slightly more focused on being funny.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.