fool

UK: /ˈfuːl/ US: /ful/ ,(fo̅o̅l)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fool¹ /ful/   n. [countable]

1. 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.
2. a professional jester:
   the court fool.
3. a person tricked or deceived into appearing silly or stupid:
   tried to make a fool of him.

v. 

4. to trick, deceive, or impose on:
   [~ + object] They tried to fool us.
5. to jest;
   pretend;
   make believe:
   [no object] I didn't mean it; I was only fooling.
6. 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.
7. fool with, [~ + object] to handle or play with idly or carelessly:
   Don't fool with that vacuum cleaner.

Related Words

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 © 2025

fool¹  (fo̅o̅l), n. 

1. a silly or stupid person;
   a person who lacks judgment or sense.
2. a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement:
   the court fool.
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 (usually prec. by a present participle):
   He's just a dancing fool.
5. a weak-minded or idiotic person.
6. Idioms be nobody's fool, to be wise or shrewd.

v.t. 

7. to trick, deceive, or impose on:
   They tried to fool him.

v.i. 

8. to act like a fool;
   joke;
   play.
9. to jest;
   pretend;
   make believe:
   I was only fooling.
10. 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.
11. fool away, to spend foolishly, as time or money;
    squander:
    to fool away the entire afternoon.
12. 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

Synonyms

• 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.

Antonyms

• 1. genius.

fool²  (fo̅o̅l), n. [British Cookery.]

1. British Terms, Food a 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/ noun

1. a person who lacks sense or judgment
2. a person who is made to appear ridiculous
3. (formerly) a professional jester living in a royal or noble household
4. a person with a learning impairment
5. play the fool, act the fool ⇒ to deliberately act foolishly; indulge in buffoonery

verb

1. (transitive) to deceive (someone), esp in order to make him or her look ridiculous
2. (intr; sometimes followed by with, around with, or about with) to act or play (with) irresponsibly or aimlessly: fooling around in the classroom
3. (intransitive) to speak or act in a playful, teasing, or jesting manner
4. (transitive) followed by away: to squander; fritter: he fooled away a fortune

adjective

1. 
   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/ noun

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

Etymology: 16th Century: perhaps from fool¹