fool
[noun]
Synonyms:
- simpleton, blockhead, dunce, halfwit, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile (informal), numbskull or numskull, twit (informal, chiefly Brit.)
- dupe, fall guy (informal), laughing stock, mug (Brit. slang), stooge (slang), sucker (slang)
- clown, buffoon, harlequin, jester
[verb]
Synonyms:
- deceive, beguile, con (informal), delude, dupe, hoodwink, mislead, take in, trick

---

Related Words: blockhead, dimwit, dope, dumbbell, dummy, nitwit, numskull, pinhead, birdbrain, featherbrain, featherhead, rattlebrain, scatterbrain, goose, silly, buffoon, clown, comedian, comic, merry-andrew, pushover, laughingstock, loser, instrument, tool

---

English Thesaurus: deceive, trick, fool, mislead, dupe, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. fool¹ /fuːl/ noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: fol, from Latin follis 'bag for blowing air']

1. STUPID PERSON [countable] a stupid person or someone who has done something stupid Synonym : idiot:
What a fool she had been to think that he would stay.
Like a fool, I accepted straight away.
You silly old fool!

2. make a fool of yourself to do something stupid that you feel embarrassed about afterwards and that makes you seem silly:
Sorry I made such a fool of myself last night. I must have been drunk.

3. make a fool of somebody to deliberately do something to make someone else seem stupid:
I suddenly realised that I was being made a fool of.

4. any fool can do something spoken used to say that it is very easy to do something or to see that something is true:
Any fool could have seen what would happen.

5. be no/nobody’s fool to be difficult to trick or deceive, because you have a lot of experience and knowledge about something:
Katherine was nobody’s fool when it came to money.

6. gooseberry/strawberry etc fool British English a sweet food made of soft cooked fruit mixed with cream

7. more fool you/him etc British English spoken used to say that you think someone was stupid to do something, and it is their own fault if this causes trouble:
‘Jim smashed up my car.’ ‘More fool you for letting him borrow it!’

8. not suffer fools gladly if you say that someone doesn’t suffer fools gladly, they do not have any patience with people who they think are stupid

9. be living in a fool’s paradise to feel happy and satisfied, and believe there are no problems, when in fact this is not true

10. play/act the fool to behave in a silly way, especially in order to make people laugh:
Stop playing the fool! You’ll fall.

11. (send somebody on) a fool’s errand to make someone go somewhere or do something for no good reason

12. fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) used to say that people are stupid if they do something immediately without thinking about it first

13. a fool and his money are soon parted used to say that stupid people spend money quickly without thinking about it

14. ENTERTAINER [countable] a man whose job was to entertain a king or other powerful people in the past, by doing tricks, singing funny songs etc Synonym : jester
⇒ April fool

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. fool² verb

1. [transitive] to trick someone into believing something that is not true:
Even art experts were fooled.
you don’t/can’t fool me
You can’t fool me with that old excuse.
be fooled by something
Don’t be fooled by appearances.
fool somebody into doing something
I was fooled into believing their promises.

2. fool yourself to try to make yourself believe something that you know is not really true:
It’s no good fooling yourself. He’s not coming back.

3. you could have fooled me spoken used to show that you do not believe what someone has told you:
‘Look, we’re doing our best to fix it.’ ‘Well, you could have fooled me.’

4. somebody is just fooling spoken used to say that someone is not serious and is only pretending that something is true Synonym : somebody is just kidding:
Don’t pay any attention to Henry. He’s just fooling.
fool around (also fool about British English) phrasal verb

1. to waste time behaving in a silly way or doing things that are not important Synonym : mess around:
He always used to fool around in class.

2. to behave in a way which is careless and not responsible Synonym : mess around
fool around with
Some idiot’s been fooling around with the electricity supply!

3. American English to spend time doing something that you enjoy, but that does not have a particular purpose Synonym : mess around:
The boys were out in the yard, just fooling around.

4. to have a sexual relationship with someone else’s wife, boyfriend etc Synonym : mess around:
She found out that he’d been fooling around behind her back.
fool with something phrasal verb American English informal

1. to touch or play with something, especially when you should not Synonym : mess with something:
Who’s been fooling with the radio dial?

2. to become involved in something which could cause damage or be dangerous Synonym : mess with something

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. fool³ adjective [only before noun] American English informal
silly or stupid Synonym : foolish:
What did you say a fool thing like that for?

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

fool
noun
ADJ. awful, big, bloody (taboo), damned, great, silly, stupid You're an even bigger fool than I thought.
absolute, complete, utter | poor (= unfortunate) | old (= used to show sympathy, affection or a lack of respect) The poor old fool was imprisoned on my account.
young | little You silly little fool!
court court fools who used to provide entertainment in the royal court
VERB + FOOL feel (like) I felt such a fool when I realized what I'd done.
look (like) They had left me looking like a fool.
act (like), behave like, play Stop behaving like a fool! He thought that being an actor only involved tap dancing and playing the fool (= acting in a childish/funny way).
suffer, tolerate She doesn't suffer fools gladly.
call sb | take sb for He had taken me for a complete fool.
be no/nobody's (= be too clever to be deceived by sb/sth) She's nobody's fool. She had the car checked by a mechanic before buying it.
PREP. like a ~ Like a fool, I told her everything.
~ of a sth That fool of a doctor has prescribed me the wrong medicine!
PHRASES make a fool (out) of sb/yourself She was angry at having been made a fool of.
more fool (sb) I thought it was safe to leave my suitcase there. More fool me (= I was stupid to think so).

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fool
verb
ADV. completely | easily I'm not easily fooled by anyone, least of all you.
VERB + FOOL can't/couldn't | try to
PREP. into He fooled them into thinking he was a detective.
with You can't fool me with all that nonsense!
PHRASES have sb fooled She had me completely fooled for a moment.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fool
noun
BAD: I was fool to believe him.
GOOD: I was a fool to believe him.
GOOD: I was foolish to believe him.

Usage Note:
Fool is a countable noun and refers to a person: 'She thinks I'm a fool for lending him the money.'
The adjective is foolish : 'You were right. It was foolish of me to lend him the money.' 'This foolish idea could ruin everything.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

deceive especially written to make someone who trusts you believe something that is not true:
This was a deliberate attempt to deceive the public.
trick to make someone believe something that is not true, in order to get something from them or make them do something:
A man posing as an insurance agent had tricked her out of thousands of dollars.
fool to make someone believe something that is not true by using a clever but simple trick:
His hairpiece doesn’t fool anyone.
mislead to make people believe something that is not true, by deliberately not giving them all the facts, or by saying something that is only partly true:
The company was accused of misleading customers about the nutritional value of the product.
dupe informal to trick or deceive someone, especially so that they become involved in someone else’s dishonest activity without realizing it:
The spies duped government and military officials alike.
con informal to trick someone, especially by telling them something that is not true:
I’m pretty good at judging people; I didn’t think he was trying to con me.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fool
̈ɪfu:l
See: children and fools speak the truth , make a fool of

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲