Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for befool. Search instead for befooled.

befool

American  
[bih-fool] / bɪˈful /

verb (used with object)

  1. to fool; deceive; dupe.

    Synonyms:
    cheat, mislead, delude, bamboozle, swindle
  2. Obsolete. to treat as a fool; call (someone) a fool.


befool British  
/ bɪˈfuːl /

verb

  1. (tr) to make a fool of

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of befool

First recorded in 1350–1400, befool is from the Middle English word befolen. See be-, fool 1

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.

The action concerns the usual city fellers who atempt to befool the honest but apparently boobish guardian of the two girl orphans and their fortune.

From Time Magazine Archive

The rest was easy, even to fixing up camouflaged parts that would befool Mr. Royce, if he should enter the room.

From Radio Boys Loyalty Bill Brown Listens In by Whipple, Wayne

He thought to befool me with his ill-thought-out plans—me who learnt wisdom before he was born.

From The Coming of the King by Hocking, James

He recognised the young man whom Dan had vainly tried to befool, away back at the beginning of the voyage.

From The Silver Maple by MacGregor, Mary Esther Miller

You and your friends may be extremely clever—you have succeeded in enticing my wife away from her home, and you expect to befool me further.

From Hushed Up! A Mystery of London by Le Queux, William