fool
1a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.
a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement: the court fool.
a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid: to make a fool of someone.
an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm (usually preceded by a present participle): He's just a dancing fool.
a weak-minded or idiotic person.
to trick, deceive, or impose on: They tried to fool him.
to act like a fool; joke; play.
to jest; pretend; make believe: I was only fooling.
fool around,
to putter aimlessly; waste time: She fooled around all through school.
to philander or flirt.
to be sexually promiscuous, especially to engage in adultery.
fool away, to spend foolishly, as time or money; squander: to fool away the entire afternoon.
fool with, to handle or play with idly or carelessly: to be hurt while fooling with a loaded gun; to fool with someone's affections.
Idioms about fool
be nobody's fool, to be wise or shrewd.
Origin of fool
1Other words for fool
Opposites for fool
Other words from fool
- un·fooled, adjective
- un·fool·ing, adjective
- well-fooled, adjective
Other definitions for fool (2 of 2)
a dish made of fruit, scalded or stewed, crushed and mixed with cream or the like: gooseberry fool.
Origin of fool
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fool in a sentence
But instead of fighting the trend, too many of us simply capitulate—lazy, credulous fools that we are.
To posit that the war brings us closer to faith is a sleight of hand that makes fools of us all.
This weekend, you can see Sly lay waste to hundreds of fools in The Expendables 3.
Rambo Hates Guns: How Sylvester Stallone Became the Most Anti-Gun Celeb in Hollywood | Asawin Suebsaeng | August 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe tone to his 990,000 followers was: “I know best, you fools.”
The RIAA would have been fools not to have brought that initial lawsuit against Napster.
15 Years After Napster: How the Music Service Changed the Industry | Alex Suskind | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The hopes of a man that is void of understanding are vain and deceitful: and dreams lift up fools.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousAnd the heart of fools shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of stammerers shall speak readily and plain.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousWhen thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamI know quantities of hysterical European women make fools of themselves out here, but I am not hysterical, I assure you.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensWe told him we would take time to think about it, but we were not quite fools enough to accept any offer which he could make.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
British Dictionary definitions for fool (1 of 2)
/ (fuːl) /
a person who lacks sense or judgement
a person who is made to appear ridiculous
(formerly) a professional jester living in a royal or noble household
obsolete an idiot or imbecile: the village fool
form the fool Caribbean to play the fool or behave irritatingly
no fool a wise or sensible person
play the fool or act the fool to deliberately act foolishly; indulge in buffoonery
(tr) to deceive (someone), esp in order to make him or her look ridiculous
(intr; foll by with, around with, or about with) informal to act or play (with) irresponsibly or aimlessly: to fool around with a woman
(intr) to speak or act in a playful, teasing, or jesting manner
(tr foll by away) to squander; fritter: he fooled away a fortune
fool along US to move or proceed in a leisurely way
informal short for foolish
Origin of fool
1British Dictionary definitions for fool (2 of 2)
/ (fuːl) /
mainly British a dessert made from a purée of fruit with cream or custard: gooseberry fool
Origin of fool
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with fool
In addition to the idioms beginning with fool
- fool and his money are soon parted, a
- fool around
- fool away
- fools rush in where angels fear to tread
also see:
- make a fool of
- nobody's fool
- no fool like an old fool
- not suffer fools gladly
- play the fool
- take for (a fool)
Also see underfoolish.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse