fun
[noun]
Synonyms:
- enjoyment, amusement, entertainment, jollity, merriment, mirth, pleasure, recreation, sport
- make fun of: mock, lampoon, laugh at, parody, poke fun at, ridicule, satirize, send up (Brit. informal)
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- enjoyable, amusing, convivial, diverting, entertaining, lively, witty

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Antonyms: earnestness, seriousness
Contrasted words: soberness, thoughtfulness
Related Words: amusement, diversion, entertainment, recreation, blitheness, jocundity, joviality, merriment, glee, hilarity, jollity, mirth, mischief, teasing

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English Thesaurus: fun, enjoyment, pleasure, good/great time, a blast, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. fun¹ S2 W3 /fʌn/ noun [uncountable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: fun 'to play a trick on' (17-20 centuries), perhaps from fonne; ⇒ fond]

1. an experience or activity that is very enjoyable and exciting:
There’s plenty of fun for all the family.
The children were having so much fun, I hated to call them inside.

2. for fun (also just for the fun of it) if you do something for fun, you do it because you enjoy it and not for any other reason:
I simply believe that killing animals for fun is wrong.
Like most people her age, Deborah struck up relationships just for the fun of it.

3. somebody is (great/good) fun British English used to say that someone is enjoyable to be with because they are happy and amusing:
You’ll like her, darling, she’s great fun.

4. behaviour that is not serious and shows happiness and enjoyment:
Jan’s always so cheerful and full of fun.
Her sense of fun made her very popular at college.
Evelyn would tease her, but only in fun.

5. fun and games activities, behaviour etc that are not serious – often used to show disapproval

6. make fun of somebody/something to make unkind insulting remarks about someone or something:
I’m not making fun of you. I admire what you did.

7. like fun American English spoken old-fashioned used to say that something is not true or will not happen:
‘I’m going to Barbara’s house.’ ‘Like fun you are! Come and finish your chores first.’
⇒ figure of fun at figure¹(12), ⇒ poke fun at at poke¹(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. fun² S2 W3 adjective [only before noun]

1. enjoyable and amusing:
Try snowboarding – it’s a really fun sport.
a fun day/evening etc

2. a fun person is enjoyable to be with because they are happy and amusing:
She’s a really fun person to be around.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

fun
noun
ADJ. enormous, excellent, good, great, terrific, tremendous, wonderful | harmless, innocent The boys' game started as harmless fun but ended in tragedy.
VERB + FUN have We had a lot of fun at Mick's party.
spoil We won't let a bit of rain spoil our fun.
FUN + NOUN day She organized an annual fun day for local children.
PREP. for ~ I write for fun, not because I expect to make money.
in ~ She only said that in fun?please don't take it seriously!
PHRASES be no fun It's no fun getting up at 4 a.m. on a cold, rainy morning.
a bit of fun I was only having a bit of fun.
just for fun, just for the fun of it They took up motor racing just for the fun of it, rather than to win anything.
a sense of fun You have to have a sense of fun to be a good teacher.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fun

have fun
Did you have fun at the party?
join in the fun
The whole village joined in the fun.
something sounds (like) fun (=seems to be enjoyable)
The picnic sounded like fun.
good fun British English
I never realized what good fun fishing could be.
great fun
The show is great fun for all the family.
harmless fun (=not likely to upset or offend anyone)
The game’s designer says it’s all a bit of harmless fun, but many parents disagree.
something is no fun (also something is not much fun) (=something is not at all enjoyable)
Being stuck in a traffic jam for three hours was no fun.
be sb’s idea of fun (=be what someone enjoys doing – used especially when this seems strange to you)
Camping in this rainy weather is not my idea of fun.
be half the fun (=be a very enjoyable part of doing something)
Planning a vacation is half the fun.
a lot of fun (also lots of fun)
The kids had a lot of fun singing and dancing.
good clean fun British English (=not offensive or not involving sex)
The show is good clean fun for all the family.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

fun
noun
1.
DUBIOUS: A good novel can give you a lot of fun.
GOOD: A good novel can give you a lot of pleasure.

Usage Note:
When you are talking about something that provides intellectual or spiritual satisfaction, such as a piano concert or a visit to an art gallery, use enjoyment/enjoyable or pleasure/pleasurable : 'Reading is her one source of pleasure.' 'We spent an enjoyable afternoon at the art gallery.'
Fun is usually used in connection with light-hearted events and activities such as games, picnics, or children's parties: 'John's parties are always great fun.' 'Let's go to the beach and have some fun.'

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2.
BAD: The game we played was very fun.
GOOD: The game we played was a lot of fun.
BAD: College life is not very fun.
GOOD: College life is not much fun.

Usage Note:
Fun is a noun (NOT an adjective): 'a lot of fun', 'not much fun', 'great fun'

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3.
BAD: On my birthday I had a good fun with my friends.
GOOD: On my birthday I had some good fun with my friends.
BAD: It would be a great fun if we could go together.
GOOD: It would be great fun if we could go together.

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4.
BAD: While on holiday I made lots of fun.
GOOD: While on holiday I had lots of fun.
BAD: I'm sure that you will get a lot of fun here.
GOOD: I'm sure that you will have a lot of fun here.

Usage Note:
have fun : 'Everyone needs to have a little fun now and again.'
DO · HAVE · MAKE · TAKE
Many phrases begin with a very common very such as do, make, have, or take : ‘I felt very nervous about taking the test but, after having a long talk with Mrs Fisher, I decided I would just do my best and try not to make too many silly mistakes .’ These verbs can be combined with some nouns but not with others and since they do not have a clear meaning of their own, choosing the right combination can be a problem. Phrases which tend to cause difficulty are shown below.
HAVE
have a bath (or esp. AmE take ) ‘She’s probably upstairs having a bath.’
Have (your) breakfast ‘We usually have breakfast in the kitchen.’
Have (your) dinner ‘We had dinner and then went for a walk.’
Have a drink ‘I’ll collapse if I don’t have a drink soon.’
Have (an) experience ‘He has no experience of running a large company.’
Have fun ‘You can’t stop people from having fun.’
Have a holiday ‘It’s almost a year since we had a real holiday.’
Have an interview ‘I’ve had six interviews but no one has offered me a job.’
Have a lesson ‘Every morning we have three fifty-minute lessons.’
Have (your) lunch ‘Isn’t it about time we had lunch?’
Have an operation ‘Before I had the operation I could hardly walk.’
Have a party ‘On Saturday we’re having a party.’
Have a picnic ‘If it’s sunny we could have a picnic.’
Have a shower (or esp. AmE take) ‘It only takes me a minute to have a shower.’
TAKE
Take/do an examination ‘Why do we have to take so many tests?’
Take (your) medicine ‘Don’t forget to take your medicine.’
Take a pill ‘He refuses to take sleeping pills.’
Take/do a test ‘The last test I took was a disaster.’
MAKE
Make an effort ‘I had to make a big effort not to laugh.’
Make a journey ‘It was the first journey he’d made all on his own.’
Make a mistake ‘He has made a serious mistake.’
Make a noise ‘How can one small child make so much noise?’
Make progress ‘I made very little progress at the start of the course.’
DO
Do your best ‘Don’t worry, Tim. Just do your best.’
Do (or cause) damage ‘The storm did a lot of damage to the crops.’
Do an exercise ‘Have you done your exercises today?’
Do an experiment ‘To do this experiment, you’ll need two eggs.’
Do (sb) good ‘The holiday has done him a lot of good.’
Do harm ‘A scandal would do his reputation a lot of harm.’
Do your homework ‘Have you done your homework yet?’
Do a job ‘I’ve got one or two jobs to do this evening.’
Do the/some shopping ‘Jake has gone into town to do some shopping.’
Do research ‘We need to do a lot more research.’
Do things ‘We’ve done lots of different things today.’
Do your training ‘Where did you do your training?’
Note also: do something/anything etc: ‘I can’t come now – I’m doing something.’ ‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

fun noun [uncountable] especially spoken an experience or activity that is very enjoyable and exciting:
The course was fun.
Have you ever been windsurfing? It’s really good fun.
I just want to relax and have some fun.
It’ll be fun seeing all my old friends again.
Running around a freezing hockey field isn’t my idea of fun.
enjoyment noun [uncountable] the feeling you get when you enjoy doing something:
I get a lot of enjoyment out of working with young children.
pleasure noun [countable] an experience or activity that makes you feel happy and satisfied:
The game was a pleasure to watch.
One of her greatest pleasures was walking in the mountains.
Ted enjoyed the simple pleasures of life: his family, his home, and his garden.
good/great time noun [countable] especially spoken a time when you enjoyed yourself:
The kids all had a great time.
I remember the good times in Japan.
Were the 1960s really such great times?
a blast informal a very enjoyable experience – a very informal use:
The trip was a blast!
entertainment noun [uncountable] things such as performances and films which are intended to be enjoyable:
Three musicians provided the entertainment.
What do you do for entertainment around here?
They hired two dancers for entertainment.
relaxation noun [uncountable] a way of resting and enjoying yourself:
I play the piano for relaxation.
Her work left little time for relaxation.
leisure noun [uncountable] the time when you are not working, when you can enjoy yourself – used especially in compounds:
leisure activities
the leisure industry
People have more leisure time.
recreation noun [uncountable and countable] formal activities that you do to enjoy yourself:
recreation facilities
The park is not just a place for recreation.
nice especially spoken pleasant or enjoyable:
Did you have a nice day?
It was nice to be back home again.
lovely especially British English informal very nice:
We had a lovely time at the beach.
The hotel was lovely.
enjoyable giving you pleasure:
We had a very enjoyable evening.
wonderful very enjoyable:
It was a wonderful concert.
The food was wonderful.
great (also brilliant British English) informal very enjoyable:
‘How was the party?’ ‘It was great!’
We all had a brilliant time.
charming used about something that seems pleasant and has a lot of qualities that make you like it:
a charming little village in the Italian countryside
I thought the restaurant was rather charming.
delightful formal very pleasant or enjoyable:
There are many delightful walks in the area.
a delightful evening
pleasurable formal a pleasurable experience or feeling is one that you enjoy:
Shopping in the old city can be a pleasurable experience.
a pleasurable feeling of relief

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

nice especially spoken friendly, kind, or polite. In written and formal English, it is better to use a more specific and interesting adjective than nice:
I like Clare – she’s really nice.
It was nice of them to offer to help.
pleasant friendly, polite, and easy to talk to – used especially about someone that you do not know very well:
I only met her once or twice but she seemed pleasant.
sweet very kind and gentle:
Kylie’s a very caring, sweet person.
It was sweet of you to send me a card.
charming behaving in a polite and friendly way, which makes people like you and want to do things for you:
The salesman was very charming.
a charming hostess
engaging interesting or amusing in a way that makes people like you – a rather formal word:
She can be very engaging.
an engaging smile
likeable easy to like and seeming nice and friendly:
Bobby was a likeable kid with an angelic face.
good-natured having a nice kind character and not getting angry easily:
Everyone likes Mike because he’s always so good-natured.
great informal used about someone who you like and admire a lot:
He’s a great guy!
Sue’s boyfriend is really great.
lovely especially British English informal very nice, kind, and friendly:
All the people I met on the course were lovely.
a lovely man
fun informal if something is fun, you enjoy it:
The holiday was great fun.
enjoyable giving you pleasure:
We had a very enjoyable evening.
wonderful very enjoyable:
It was a wonderful concert.
The food was wonderful.
delightful formal very pleasant or enjoyable:
There are many delightful walks in the area.
a delightful evening
pleasurable formal a pleasurable experience or feeling is one that you enjoy:
Shopping in the old city can be a pleasurable experience.
a pleasurable feeling of relief

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

nice especially spoken pleasant or enjoyable:
Did you have a nice day?
It was nice to be back home again.
lovely especially British English informal very nice:
We had a lovely time at the beach.
The hotel was lovely.
fun informal if something is fun, you enjoy it:
The holiday was great fun.
enjoyable giving you pleasure:
We had a very enjoyable evening.
wonderful very enjoyable:
It was a wonderful concert.
The food was wonderful.
great (also brilliant British English) informal very enjoyable:
‘How was the party?’ ‘It was great!’
We all had a brilliant time.
charming used about something that seems pleasant and has a lot of qualities that make you like it:
a charming little village in the Italian countryside
I thought the restaurant was rather charming.
delightful formal very pleasant or enjoyable:
There are many delightful walks in the area.
a delightful evening
pleasurable formal a pleasurable experience or feeling is one that you enjoy:
Shopping in the old city can be a pleasurable experience.
a pleasurable feeling of relief

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fun
fʌn
See: make fun of

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲