tomfoolery
Americannoun
plural
tomfooleries-
foolish or silly behavior; tomfoolishness.
- Synonyms:
- monkeyshine, horseplay, silliness, foolishness
-
a silly act, matter, or thing.
noun
-
foolish behaviour
-
utter nonsense; rubbish
Etymology
Origin of tomfoolery
Explanation
Tomfoolery is foolishness. Starting a food fight in a cafeteria is an example of tomfoolery. Tomfoolery is a silly-looking word, and it means a silly thing: foolish or ridiculous behavior. Tomfoolery is senseless behavior, like pulling pranks or being obnoxious. If a bunch of students in class keep talking and laughing, the teacher might yell "Stop your tomfoolery!" Tomfoolery can be annoying to others, but it's usually not serious. Committing a crime is a lot worse than tomfoolery. Tomfoolery is more like goofing around or being a clown.
Vocabulary lists containing tomfoolery
Pygmalion
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Fast Pitch
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Slay
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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.
Lacking immediate options, Bea succumbs to Christy’s latest tomfoolery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026
He chalked up the incident as “a case where the skylarking and tomfoolery in an employment context has gone awry.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023
He told the court this was a case of "skylarking and tomfoolery" that had "gone awry".
From BBC • Nov. 9, 2023
That was a trick, right there — a bit of rhetorical tomfoolery to make you think the impassioned public testimony and the Oxford comma were connected.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2023
When Jean Louise felt apprehensive, expectant, or on edge, especially when confronting her aunt, her brain clicked to the meter of Gilbertian tomfoolery.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
