clown on
Make fun of
To clown on someone is to mock or ridicule them, often publicly and with exaggerated humor: They were clowning on his haircut all day.
The phrase suggests performative teasing—making someone the butt of jokes for an audience's entertainment.
It can be good-natured ribbing among friends or genuinely mean-spirited mockery depending on context.
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- talk shitDisparage someone verbally
- banterPlayful, teasing exchange
- throw shadeSubtly insult someone publicly
- ridiculeContemptuous mocking treatment
jest · scorning · roasting · go in on · sarcasm · trolling · talking smack · scoffing · derision · joke · lampooning · disparaging · razzing · tease · ribbing · sneering · belittling · taunting