a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person:what a fool I was to do this
historical a jester or clown, especially one retained in a noble household.
informal a person devoted to a particular activity:he is a running fool
archaic a person who is duped.
verb
[with object]
trick or deceive (someone); dupe:he fooled nightclub managers into believing he was a successful businessmanshe had been fooling herself in thinking she could remain indifferent
[no object] act in a joking, frivolous, or teasing way:I shouted at him impatiently to stop fooling around
[no object] (fool around) engage in casual or extramarital sexual activity.
adjective
[attributive] informal
foolish or silly:that damn fool waiter
Phrases
be no (or nobody's) fool
be a shrewd or prudent person.
a fool and his money are soon parted
proverb a foolish person spends money carelessly and will soon be penniless.
fools rush in where angels fear to tread
proverb people without good sense or judgment will have no hesitation in tackling a situation that even the wisest would avoid.
make a fool of
trick or deceive (someone) so that they look foolish.
(make a fool of oneself) behave in an incompetent or inappropriate way that makes one appear foolish.
play (or act) the fool
behave in a playful or silly way.
there's no fool like an old fool
proverb the foolish behavior of an older person seems especially foolish as they are expected to think and act more sensibly than a younger one.
you could have fooled me!
used to express cynicism or doubt about an assertion:“Fun, was it? Well, you could have fooled me!”
Phrasal Verbs
fool with
toy with; play idly with:I like fooling with cameras
tease (a person):we’ve just been fooling with you
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French fol 'fool, foolish', from Latin follis 'bellows, bag', by extension 'empty-headed person'; compare with fils1, follis
