make a fool of

Idioms

Also,. Cause someone or oneself to look foolish or stupid. For example, John doesn't mind making a fool of himself at parties, or They made an ass of me by giving me the wrong instructions, or Just watch him make a monkey out of this amateur chess player. The use of fool and ass date from the early 1600s; the latter is sometimes put more rudely as make a horse's ass of, alluding to a horse's behind. The use of monkey dates from about 1900.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She added: "Please don't try and vote if you're watching on demand, you'll just make a fool of yourself."

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2024

Also, a way to make a fool of himself for no reason at all.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023

“But he was also an actor who was willing to go to a place where he wasn’t afraid to make a fool of himself. He wasn’t wrapped up in being this supercool, emotionless, good-looking dude.”

From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2022

Sometimes the only thing stopping us from taking to the dance floor to shake off the blues, is the lack of some guy willing to make a fool of himself up there first.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2022

Mr. Kennel crossed his arms in front of him like he was pleased to make a fool of me.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

make a fool of

Example Sentences

Related Words