fun

[fuhn]

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.

fun

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fun¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fun¹

C17: perhaps from obsolete fon to make a fool of; see _fond ¹

Idioms and Phrases

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!

More idioms and phrases containing fun

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

Example Sentences

She is good with people, with an outgoing friendliness and sense of fun, which is why charities have previously wanted her as an ally.

From BBC

“Just you guys sitting in this room, you mean so much to me. We have so much fun. I’m going to miss it.”

From Los Angeles Times

“We were able to create these spatial tasks that kids would do that were really fun and engaging.”

From Los Angeles Times

“People don’t take acetaminophen for fun. They are taking it for a health condition,” Lee said.

From Los Angeles Times

"That was a really fun time. I had this vision of doing that for about a year, and to see how emotional the guys got was a really special time for our team."

From BBC

Related Words

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