WordLens

fool

1 of 2verb
/ful/
Forms:fools,fooling,fooled,fooled
1

to trick someone by making them believe something false or absurd

transitive
  • He fooled everyone with his elaborate story about winning the lottery.
  • Kids often enjoy fooling each other with playful pranks and jokes.
  • The illusionist's performance was designed to fool the audience.
  • They fooled the crowd with a fake announcement, causing confusion and excitement.
  • She fooled the store clerk by returning an item that wasn’t hers.
Synonyms:
2

to behave in a silly or senseless way

  • She couldn’t help but fool when the teacher wasn’t looking, making faces at her friends.
  • They fooled by pretending to be superheroes, acting out ridiculous stunts in the yard.
  • He would often fool during meetings, distracting everyone with his nonsense.
  • He liked to fool, often making silly mistakes just to see people’s reactions.
  • He fooled all night, cracking jokes and pulling pranks to entertain everyone.
3

to trick or deceive someone into behaving foolishly

transitive
  • They fooled their friend into thinking it was his birthday.
  • He was fooled into making a decision he would regret.
  • He fooled his coworker into agreeing to a ridiculous task, making him seem like the fool.
  • She fooled him into believing her story, leaving him red-faced when the truth came out.
  • She fooled the game show host into thinking she knew the correct answer.