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fool
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- pronunciation:
- ful
- parts of speech:
- noun, transitive verb, intransitive verb, adjective
- phrases:
- fool around, fool away, nobody's fool
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun, verb), Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
one who lacks good sense, judgment or comprehension, or who fails to display these qualities on a specific occasion.
You were a fool to invest your money in that get-rich-quick scheme.- synonyms:
- chump, dolt, half-wit, idiot, knucklehead, ninny, nitwit, numskull, simpleton, tomfool
- similar words:
- ass, blockhead, booby, dummy, dunce, dunderhead, ignoramus, imbecile, nincompoop, oaf, sap
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| definition 2: |
one who has been or is likely to be deceived, imposed upon, or made to look silly.
He's a fool who can't even see that his wife is being unfaithful to him.- synonyms:
- dupe, gull, sucker
- similar words:
- butt, gudgeon, half-wit, laughingstock, pigeon, sap, simpleton, sitting duck
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| definition 3: |
one employed to entertain by acting comically and foolishly, as formerly in royal or noble households; jester.
The king called for his fool.- synonyms:
- jester
- similar words:
- buffoon, clown, harlequin, merry-andrew
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| definition 4: |
one who has an unreasonable enthusiasm for some activity.
I'm a fool for any kind of sports.He's a working fool.- synonyms:
- fanatic
- similar words:
- buff, devotee, enthusiast, fan, votary
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| related words: |
comedian, dolt, dupe, half-wit, idiot, laugh, moron, target, zany |
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| phrase: |
nobody's fool |
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
fools, fooling, fooled |
| definition 1: |
to dupe or deceive.
You're not fooling me with that excuse!The trick was carried out so well that it fooled everyone in the audience.- synonyms:
- deceive, dupe, hoodwink, kid, spoof, trick
- similar words:
- bamboozle, bluff, cheat, con, cozen, gull, hoax, mislead, mock, rogue, swindle
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| definition 2: |
to surprise or prove wrong.
I'd thought he was just an average kid, but he fooled me; he was really quite brilliant.- synonyms:
- surprise
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| related words: |
baffle, mystify, outwit, trip |
| phrase: |
fool away |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition 1: |
to pretend, as to some unintended purpose or objective.
He threatened to jump off the ledge, but he was only fooling.- synonyms:
- fake, feign, make believe, pretend
- similar words:
- counterfeit, playact, sham
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| definition 2: |
to act without serious purpose or objective (usu. fol. by "around" or "about").
They were fooling around when they should have been working.- synonyms:
- lollygag, mess around
- similar words:
- dally, fiddle around, frolic, play, putter, trifle
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| definition 3: |
to handle something idly or carelessly (usu. fol. by "with").
He fooled with the gun and accidentally shot himself in the foot.- synonyms:
- meddle, mess, monkey, tamper
- similar words:
- toy, trifle
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| definition 4: |
to act or speak stupidly or in jest; play the fool; joke.
She was still angry at what he said even though he told her he'd just been fooling.It's hard to take him seriously when he's always fooling.- synonyms:
- jest, joke
- similar words:
- clown around, horse around, josh, kid
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| related words: |
clown, deceive, joke, lie, tamper |
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| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition: |
(informal) lacking good sense; silly; foolish.
He got a fool notion to tease the rattlesnake.- synonyms:
- foolish, idiotic, silly
- similar words:
- asinine, brainless, crackbrained, senseless, stupid, unwise
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| phrase: |
fool around |
Fool comes from follis, a Latin word that means "bellows" or "leather bag." Later, it came to be used for an empty-headed person.
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