fun

Syllabification: (fun)

Pronunciation: /fən/

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Definition of fun

noun

enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure:the children were having fun in the play area anyone who turns up can join in the fun
a source of this:people-watching is great fun
playful behavior or good humor:she’s full of fun
behavior or an activity that is intended purely for amusement and should not be interpreted as having serious or malicious purposes:it was nothing serious; they just enjoyed having some harmless fun
[attributive] (of a place or event) providing entertainment or leisure activities for children:a 33-acre movie-themed fun park

adjective

informal

amusing, entertaining, or enjoyable:it was a fun evening

verb (funs, funning, funned)

informal

joke or tease: [no object]:no need to get sore—I was only funning [with object]:they are just funning you

Phrases

for fun: in order to amuse oneself and not for any more serious purpose.
fun and games: amusing and enjoyable activities:teaching isn’t all fun and games
someone's idea of fun: used to emphasize one’s dislike for an activity or to mock someone else’s liking for it:being stuck behind a desk all day isn’t my idea of fun
in fun: not intended seriously; as a joke:remember when you meet the press to say that your speech was all in fun
like fun: dated an ironic exclamation of contradiction or disbelief in response to a statement.
make fun of: tease, laugh at, or joke about (someone) in a mocking or unkind way.
not much (or a lot of) fun: used to indicate that something strikes one as extremely unpleasant and depressing:it can’t be much fun living next door to him
what fun!: used to convey that an activity or situation sounds amusing or enjoyable.

Origin:

late 17th century (denoting a trick or hoax): from obsolete fun 'to cheat or hoax', dialect variant of late Middle English fon 'make a fool of, be a fool', related to fon 'a fool', of unknown origin. Compare with fond

The use of fun as an adjective meaning ‘enjoyable,’ as in we had a fun evening, is now established in informal use, although not accepted in standard English. The comparative and superlative forms funner and funnest, formed as if fun were a standard adjective, should only be used in very informal contexts, typically speech.

fun in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of fun in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

fun

noun

adjective

verb (funs, funning, funned)

Phrases

for fun

fun and games

someone's idea of fun

in fun

like fun

make fun of

not much (or a lot of) fun

what fun!

Origin:

fun in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for fun

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