plural fools
1
: a person lacking in judgment or prudence
Only a fool would ride a motorcycle without wearing a helmet.
2
a
: a retainer (see retainer entry 1 sense 1) formerly kept in great households to provide casual entertainment and commonly dressed in motley with cap, bells, and bauble
3
a
: a person lacking in common powers of understanding or reason
b
: one with a marked propensity or fondness for something
a dancing fool
a fool for candy
4
: a cold dessert of pureed fruit mixed with whipped cream or custard
fooled; fooling; fools
1
a
: to behave foolishly
told the children to stop their fooling
see also fool around
b
: to meddle, tamper, or experiment especially thoughtlessly or ignorantly
Don't fool with that drill.
see also fool around with
2
a
: to play or improvise a comic role
b
: to speak in jest : joke
I was only fooling
3
: to contend or fight without serious intent or with less than full strength : toy
a dangerous man to fool with
Synonyms
Noun
- berk [British]
- booby
- charlie [British]
- charley
- cuckoo
- ding-a-ling
- dingbat
- ding-dong
- dipstick
- doofus [slang]
- featherhead
- git [British]
- goose
- half-wit
- jackass
- lunatic
- mooncalf
- nincompoop
- ninny
- ninnyhammer
- nit [chiefly British]
- nitwit
- nut
- nutcase
- simp
- simpleton
- turkey
- yo-yo
Adjective
- absurd
- asinine
- balmy
- brainless
- bubbleheaded
- cockeyed
- crackpot
- crazy
- cuckoo
- daffy
- daft
- dippy
- dotty
- fatuous
- featherheaded
- foolish
- half-baked
- half-witted
- harebrained
- inept
- insane
- jerky
- kooky
- kookie
- loony
- looney
- lunatic
- lunkheaded
- mad
- nonsensical
- nutty
- preposterous
- sappy
- screwball
- senseless
- silly
- simpleminded
- stupid
- tomfool
- unwise
- wacky
- whacky
- weak-minded
- witless
- zany
Verb
Examples of fool in a Sentence
Noun
those fools who ride motorcycles without wearing helmets
Only a fool would ask such a silly question.
You'd be a fool to believe what he tells you.
You're making yourself look like a fool.
Adjective
The dog was barking its fool head off.
Some fool driver kept trying to pass me!
Verb
When she first told us that she was getting married, we thought she was fooling.
His disguise didn't fool anybody.
He really had me fooled.
Stop fooling yourself—she doesn't really love you.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
And their shooting, which new Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson warned pregame might be a bit of fool’s gold, didn’t come close to slowing down.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Fischer, who played the paper company's receptionist Pam (until she was promoted), explained that creator Greg Daniels even filmed a fake version of the episode to fool them.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
For his part, Jon Stewart, who was broadcasting live as the results came in during The Daily Show’s Election Night special, would like to remind us that all of these premature attempts at diagnosis are a fool’s errand.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
And their shooting, which new Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson warned pregame might be a bit of fool’s gold, didn’t come close to slowing down.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
Your partner is either fooling himself or attempting to fool you.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Fischer, who played the paper company's receptionist Pam (until she was promoted), explained that creator Greg Daniels even filmed a fake version of the episode to fool them.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool
Dictionary Entries Near fool
Cite this Entry
“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fool. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fool
1 of 2 noun1
: a person who lacks good sense or judgment
2
: a person formerly kept in a noble or royal household to amuse with jests and pranks
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