fool

¹

[fool]

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.

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.

fool

²

[fool]

noun

British Cooking.

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

   gooseberry fool.

fool

¹

/ 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

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

/ fuːl /

noun

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

   gooseberry fool

Other Word Forms

• unfooled adjective
• unfooling adjective
• well-fooled adjective

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fool¹

C13: from Old French fol mad person, from Late Latin follis empty-headed fellow, from Latin: bellows; related to Latin flāre to blow

Origin of fool²

C16: perhaps from _fool ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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)

Example Sentences

It’s easy to see how someone can be fooled.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Markets ended the week on a positive note, but don’t be fooled: Jitters are emerging below the surface, setting up a potentially rocky path for the rest of 2025 and next year.

Read more on Barron's

“You made a fool of me, Roz! My pack and my mate have left me! Now I’m just a worthless lone wolf! All because of you!”

Read more on Literature

A man posing as the CEO of a major food company temporarily fooled Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

If there is one lyric that sums up Lily Allen’s new album, it’s “You moved the goal posts, you’ve broken the rules/ I tried to accommodate, but you took me for a fool.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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