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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026fool1 /ful/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- a silly or stupid person;
one who lacks sense:I felt like a fool when I couldn't figure out how to use the fax machine.
- a professional jester:the court fool.
- a person tricked or deceived into appearing silly or stupid:tried to make a fool of him.
v.
- to trick, deceive, or impose on:[~ + object]They tried to fool us.
- to jest;
pretend;
make believe:[no object]I didn't mean it; I was only fooling.
- fool around, [no object]
- to waste time aimlessly:He seems to be just fooling around and not taking his job seriously at all.
- to be sexually promiscuous;
engage casually in sexual activity:He was fooling around with his neighbor's wife.
- fool with, [~ + object] to handle or play with idly or carelessly:Don't fool with that vacuum cleaner.
fool is a noun and a verb, foolish is an adjective, foolishness is a noun:He's a fool. They tried to fool me. What a foolish mistake! What foolishness are you up to now?
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026fool1
(fo̅o̅l),USA pronunciation n.
- a silly or stupid person;
a person who lacks judgment or sense.
- a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement:the court fool.
- a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid:to make a fool of someone.
- an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm (usually prec. by a present participle):He's just a dancing fool.
- a weak-minded or idiotic person.
- Idioms be nobody's fool, to be wise or shrewd.
v.t.
- to trick, deceive, or impose on:They tried to fool him.
v.i.
- to act like a fool;
joke;
play.
- to jest;
pretend;
make believe:I was only fooling.
- fool around:
- to putter aimlessly;
waste time:She fooled around all through school.
- to philander or flirt.
- to be sexually promiscuous, esp. to engage in adultery.
- fool away, to spend foolishly, as time or money;
squander:to fool away the entire afternoon.
- fool with, to handle or play with idly or carelessly:to be hurt while fooling with a loaded gun; to fool with someone's affections.
- Latin follis bellows, bag; compare follis
- Old French fol
- Middle English fol, fool 1225–75
1. simpleton, dolt, dunce, blockhead, numskull, ignoramus, dunderhead, ninny, nincompoop, booby, saphead, sap. 2. zany, clown. 5. moron, imbecile, idiot. 7. delude, hoodwink, cheat, gull, hoax, cozen, dupe, gudgeon.
fool2
(fo̅o̅l),USA pronunciation n. [British Cookery.]
- British Terms, Fooda dish made of fruit, scalded or stewed, crushed and mixed with cream or the like:gooseberry fool.
- probably special use of fool1 1590–1600
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
fool /fuːl/ n - a person who lacks sense or judgment
- a person who is made to appear ridiculous
- (formerly) a professional jester living in a royal or noble household
- old-fashioned offensive a person with a learning impairment
- play the fool, act the fool ⇒ to deliberately act foolishly; indulge in buffoonery
vb - (transitive) to deceive (someone), esp in order to make him or her look ridiculous
- (intransitive; sometimes followed by with, around with, or about with) informal to act or play (with) irresponsibly or aimlessly: fooling around in the classroom
- (intransitive) to speak or act in a playful, teasing, or jesting manner
- (transitive) followed by away: to squander; fritter: he fooled away a fortune
adj - informal
short for foolish
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French fol mad person, from Late Latin follis empty-headed fellow, from Latin: bellows; related to Latin flāre to blow fool /fuːl/ n - chiefly Brit a dessert made from a purée of fruit with cream or custard: gooseberry fool
Etymology: 16th Century: perhaps from fool1
'fool' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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