fun

American  

[fuhn] / fʌn /

noun

1. something that provides mirth or amusement.

   A picnic would be fun.

   Synonyms:

   gaiety, play, pleasure, merriment

2. enjoyment or playfulness.

   She's full of fun.

   Synonyms:

   gaiety, play, pleasure, merriment

---

verb (used with or without object)

funned, funning

1. Informal. joke; kid.

adjective

funner, funnest

1. Informal. of or relating to fun, especially to social fun.

   a fun thing to do; really a fun person; the funnest game.

2. Informal. whimsical; flamboyant.

   The fashions this year are definitely on the fun side.

idioms

1. for / in fun, as a joke; not seriously; playfully.

   His insults were only in fun.

2. make fun of, to make the object of ridicule; deride.

   The youngsters made fun of their teacher.

3. like fun, certainly not; of doubtful truth.

   He told us that he finished the exam in an hour. Like fun he did!

fun British  

/ fʌn /

noun

1. a source of enjoyment, amusement, diversion, etc

2. pleasure, gaiety, or merriment

3. jest or sport (esp in the phrases in or for fun )

4. facetious amusement; frivolous activity

5. informal

   1. (adverb) quickly; vigorously

   2. (interjection) not at all! certainly not!

6. to ridicule or deride

7. (modifier) full of amusement, diversion, gaiety, etc

   a fun sport

---

verb

1. informal (intr) to act in a joking or sporting manner

fun More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fun

• for fun
• funny
• like fun
• make fun of
• more fun than a barrel of monkeys

---

Etymology

Origin of fun

First recorded in 1675–85; dialectal variant of obsolete fon “to befool”; fond ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Saying too much more would spoil all of the fun to be had, but the banana is only the beginning.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

“Even though that would be fun for you, my number one job is to protect you,” she explains to her daughter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

“For the coffee-lover, the intricate ritual of coffee preparation adds fun and pleasure to life,” he argues.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

“It was very clear immediately that we were gonna be building something really fun together for a while,” the manager said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

I knew full well Karl wanted to find out more about her elephant story, but it looked to me as if he was having far too much fun in the snow outside.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• celebration
• distraction
• enjoyment
• joke
• joy
• laughter
• pastime
• pleasure
• sport