make a fool of

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make a fool of

He added: "If you don't want to serve in a UK Parliament, don't. But don't make a fool of yourself doing so."

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Once Lee had the green light from his director to make a fool of himself, he was off and running.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2025

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

Or is she just trying to make a fool of me?

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• confuse
• crush
• degrade
• demean
• depress
• disgrace
• humble
• shame
• snub
• subdue