fool Hear it!

fool¹ Definition

fool (fo̵̅o̅l)

noun

    1. a person with little or no judgment, common sense, wisdom, etc.; silly or stupid person; simpleton
    2. Obsolete a mentally retarded person
  2. a man formerly kept in the household of a nobleman or king to entertain by joking and clowning; professional jester
  3. a victim of a joke or trick; dupe
  4. a person especially devoted to or skilled in some activity a dancing fool

Etymology: ME fol < OFr (Fr fou) < LL follis < L, windbag, bellows: see follicle

adjective

Informal foolish

intransitive verb

  1. to act like a fool; be silly
  2. to speak, act, etc. in jest; joke
  3. Informal to trifle or meddle (with)

transitive verb

to make a fool of; trick; deceive; dupe

fool¹ Idioms

be no fool

or be nobody's fool

to be shrewd and capable

fool around

☆ Informal
  1. to spend time in trifling or pointless activity
  2. to trifle or meddle
  3. to engage in casual sexual activity

fool away

Informal to fritter away foolishly

play the fool

to act like a fool; do silly things; clown

fool² Definition

fool (fo̵̅o̅l)

noun

Brit. crushed stewed fruit mixed with cream, esp. whipped cream

Etymology: Early ModE < ? fool

fool Synonyms

fool

n.

  1. A silly or stupid person

    nitwit, simpleton, dunce, ninny, cretin, nincompoop, dolt, idiot, jackass, ass, buffoon, blockhead, numskull, oaf, booby, boob, clod, dunderhead, goose, ignoramus, imbecile, moron, clown, tomfool, wiseacre, donkey, looby, noddy, noodle, innocent, loon, dullard, fathead, halfwit, mooncalf, lightweight, dotard, babbler, driveler, Simple Simon, silly, scatterbrain, bonehead*, simp*, dope*, nerd*, turkey*, dumbdumb*, meathead*, sap*, birdbrain*, lamebrain*, noodlehead*, *airhead*, bubblehead*, ditz*, dumb ox*, lunkhead*, knucklehead*, dimwit*, dumbbell*, jerk*, chump*, twit*, dumb bunny*.

    Antonyms philosopher*, sage*, scholar. *

  2. One made to seem foolish

    butt, laughingstock, victim, clown, poor fish, schlemiel, dupe, gull, gudgeon, cully, stooge, fair game, goat*, pigeon*, sucker*, patsy*, fall guy*, pushover*, setup*, mark*, easy mark*, chump*.

no <strong>or </strong>nobody's fool

shrewd, calculating, capable; see able 1, 2, intelligent 1.

play the fool

be silly, show off, clown; see joke.

fool Synonyms

fool

v.

trick, dupe, mislead; see deceive.

fool Usage Examples

Object

  • magician: When was the last time a coin in bottle routine fooled magician after magician?
  • no-one: You're fooling no-one with that riled wasp engine note.
  • anybody: I'm not here to fool anybody or follow a trend.

Converse of object

  • delude: It, too, has had its share of rubbish pedaled by insincere opportunists and deluded fools.
  • suffer: Bible Belt readers, I now realize, neither suffer a fool gladly nor hesitate to call a fool a fool.
  • tolerate: They are true show jumping horses strong, tall, slightly scarey and they certainly don't tolerate fools.

Adjective modifier

  • misguided: There are some misguided fools who imagine that one can achieve spiritual excellence without adhering to the Sunna.
  • crazy: I'm just waiting for a response along the lines of ' thats by design crazy fool ' , or similar...
  • damn: The conductor said, " Rogers, I believe you're a damn fool.
  • ignorant: Bush has a speech impediment, and for this he's seen as ' dumb as a chimp ' or an ignorant fool.
  • pompous: What use to them this cerebral theology from an overweight, pompous fool?
  • drunken: Mark takes pains not to be bettered by any drunken fool who wants to take him on.

Modifies a noun

  • proof: He just sold me the fool proof way to win the lottery.
  • joke: The article was an elaborate April fools joke by CU Amiga Magazine and was revealed the next day.

Followed by an intransitive particle

around: These men do not fool around with spending a day at the track.

Possessives

  • errand: The first fish appears on April Fool's Day, a day of practical jokes on which people are sent on fool's errands.
  • gold: His " golden rule " turned out to be fool's gold.

Possessives

nobody: This unemployed jester, who's nobody's fool, has paid for his merry jape, I send his tongue to you.

Noun used with modifier

  • gooseberry: The Southbank has that classic gooseberry fool profile with a touch of nettle too.
  • April: Pounds billion footsie know they would hero that country other april fools ' .