buffoon
A buffoon is a person who acts very foolishly and looks silly.
A person who behaves in a stupid, awkward, or ridiculous way, often making themselves look silly.
A buffoon can also mean a performer who makes people laugh by acting like a clown.
A comic entertainer whose act involves clowning, broad humor, and silly behavior, especially in traditional theatre or older writing.
- Base: buffoon
- Plural: buffoons
act the buffoon
1act like a clown
To act the buffoon means to behave very foolishly.
- He acted the buffoon during the ceremony, and people were embarrassed for him.
- She can be serious when she wants to, but she often acts the buffoon at parties.
- Please don’t act the buffoon.
court buffoon
1entertainer kept by a ruler
A court buffoon is a person whose job is to entertain a king or ruler.
- In the novel, the court buffoon is the only one who can mock the king without punishment.
- Critics called him a court buffoon, always ready with a joke to please those in power.
- The king listened to the court buffoon.
make a buffoon of yourself
1make yourself look ridiculous
To make a buffoon of yourself means to do something that makes you look very silly.
- Don’t argue with the referee—you’ll only make a buffoon of yourself.
- He made a buffoon of himself by bragging about things everyone knew were false.
- I made a buffoon of myself at the interview.
play the buffoon
1behave in a silly way
To play the buffoon means to act silly like a clown.
- He plays the buffoon to hide how nervous he is.
- If you keep playing the buffoon, no one will trust you with serious work.
- He played the buffoon in front of his friends.