fool

¹ American  

[fool] / ful /

noun

1. a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.

   Synonyms:

   sap , saphead , booby , nincompoop , ninny , dunderhead , ignoramus , numbskull , blockhead , dunce , dolt , simpleton

   Antonyms:

   genius

2. a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement.

   the court fool.

   Synonyms:

   clown , zany

3. a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid.

   to make a fool of someone.

4. an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm.

   He's just a dancing fool.

5. a weak-minded or idiotic person.

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verb (used with object)

1. to trick, deceive, or impose on.

   They tried to fool him.

   Synonyms:

   gudgeon , dupe , cozen , hoax , gull , cheat , hoodwink , delude

verb (used without object)

1. to act like a fool; joke; play.

2. to jest; pretend; make believe.

   I was only fooling.

verb phrase

1. fool away  to spend foolishly, as time or money; squander.

   to fool away the entire afternoon.

2. fool around (with)

   1. to putter aimlessly; waste time.

      She fooled around all through school.

      I fooled around with painting for a bit, but never got anywhere with it.

   2. Also fool with to handle or play with idly or carelessly.

      She was hurt while fooling around with a loaded gun.

      It's unkind to fool with someone's affections.

   3. to flirt or have casual sexual encounters.

      You should know better than to fool around with someone you work with.

      They're just fooling around–I don't think the relationship is going to go anywhere.

   4. to be sexually promiscuous, especially to engage in adultery.

      He's out fooling around while she's at home sick with the flu.

idioms

1. be nobody's fool,  to be wise or shrewd.

fool ² American  

[fool] / ful /

noun

British Cooking.

1. a dish made of fruit, scalded or stewed, crushed and mixed with cream or the like.

   gooseberry fool.

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fool ¹ British  

/ fuːl /

noun

1. a person who lacks sense or judgement

2. a person who is made to appear ridiculous

3. (formerly) a professional jester living in a royal or noble household

4. obsolete  an idiot or imbecile

   the village fool

5. to play the fool or behave irritatingly

6. a wise or sensible person

7. to deliberately act foolishly; indulge in buffoonery

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verb

1. (tr) to deceive (someone), esp in order to make him or her look ridiculous

2. informal  (intr; foll by with, around with, or about with) to act or play (with) irresponsibly or aimlessly

   to fool around with a woman

3. (intr) to speak or act in a playful, teasing, or jesting manner

4. to squander; fritter

   he fooled away a fortune

5. to move or proceed in a leisurely way

adjective

1. informal  short for foolish

fool ² British  

/ fuːl /

noun

1. a dessert made from a purée of fruit with cream or custard

   gooseberry fool

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fool More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fool

• foolish
• make a fool of
• no fool like an old fool
• nobody's fool
• not suffer fools gladly
• play the fool
• take for (a fool)

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Other Word Forms

• unfooled adjective
• unfooling adjective
• well-fooled adjective

Etymology

Origin of fool¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English fol, fool, from Old French fol, from Latin follis “bellows, bag”; follis

Origin of fool²

First recorded in 1590–1600; probably special use of fool ¹; trifle ( def. ) (in the sense “a dessert consisting of custard and cake”

Example Sentences

Known for not suffering fools gladly while on air and giving some callers short shrift, he was once satirised in Private Eye.

From BBC

Kennedy is no fool — he knows that his efforts are more antithetical to democracy than he lets on.

From Salon

"Honestly, it's such a simple thing but it makes you feel dumb when you get fooled by AI," the 25- year-old explains.

From BBC

As commodities, they resemble collectibles like Beanie Babies, with values derived from the “greater fool” theory — that someone is out there willing to pay more than your acquisition cost to take them off your hands.

From Los Angeles Times

Vance is fooling himself if he thinks the foundation for electoral success is the sea of bitter online men who blame feminism for all their personal problems.

From Salon

Related Words

• ass
• boob
• buffoon
• idiot
• jerk
• moron
• nitwit
• stooge
• sucker
• twit