Adjacent Words

Fool definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FOOL, n. [Heb.]
1. One who is destitute of reason, or the common powers of understanding; an idiot. Some persons are born fools, and are called natural fools; others may become fools by some injury done to the brain.
2. In common language, a person who is somewhat deficient in intellect, but not an idiot; or a person who acts absurdly; one who does not exercise his reason; one who pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom.
Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.
3. In scripture, fool is often used for a wicked or depraved person; one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral deportment; one who follows his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures to the service of God and eternal happiness.
The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Psalms 14.
4. A weak christian; a godly person who has much remaining sin and unbelief.
O fools, and slow of heart to believe all the prophets have written. Luke 24.
Also, one who is accounted or called a food by ungodly men. 1 Cor
4:10.
5. A term of indignity and reproach.
To be thought knowing, you must first put the fool upon all mankind.
6. One who counterfeits folly; a buffoon; as a king's fool.
I scorn, although their drudge, to be their fool or jester.
1. To play the fool, to act the buffoon; to jest; to make sport.
2. To act like one void of understanding.
To put the fool on, to impose on; to delude.
To make a fool of, to frustrate; to defeat; to disappoint.
FOOL, v.i. To trifle; to toy; to spend time in idleness, sport or mirth.
Is this a time for fooling?
FOOL, v.t.
1. To treat with contempt; to disappoint; to defeat; to frustrate; to deceive; to impose on.
When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat; for fooled with hope, men favor the deceit.
2. To infatuate; to make foolish.
3. To cheat; as, to fool one out of his money.
1. To fool away, to spend in trifles, idleness, folly, or without advantage; as, to fool away time.
2. To spend for things of no value or use; to expend improvidently; as, to fool away money.
FOOL, n. A liquid made of gooseberries scalded and pounded, with cream.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a person who lacks good judgment [syn: fool, sap, saphead, muggins, tomfool]
2: a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of [syn: chump, fool, gull, mark, patsy, fall guy, sucker, soft touch, mug]
3: a professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages [syn: jester, fool, motley fool] v
1: make a fool or dupe of [syn: fool, gull, befool]
2: spend frivolously and unwisely; "Fritter away one's inheritance" [syn: fritter, frivol away, dissipate, shoot, fritter away, fool, fool away]
3: fool or hoax; "The immigrant was duped because he trusted everyone"; "You can't fool me!" [syn: gull, dupe, slang, befool, cod, fool, put on, take in, put one over, put one across]
4: indulge in horseplay; "Enough horsing around--let's get back to work!"; "The bored children were fooling about" [syn: horse around, arse around, fool around, fool]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French fol, from Late Latin follis, from Latin, bellows, bag; akin to Old High German bolla blister, balg bag — more at belly Date: 13th century 1. a person lacking in judgment or prudence 2. a. a retainer formerly kept in great households to provide casual entertainment and commonly dressed in motley with cap, bells, and bauble b. one who is victimized or made to appear foolish ; dupe 3. a. a harmlessly deranged person or one lacking in common powers of understanding 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 II. adjective Date: 13th century foolish, silly <barking its fool head off> III. verb Date: 1593 intransitive verb 1. a. to behave foolishly <told the children to stop their fooling> — often used with around b. to meddle, tamper, or experiment especially thoughtlessly or ignorantly <don't fool with that gun> — often used with around 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> transitive verb 1. to make a fool of ; deceive 2. obsolete infatuate 3. to spend on trifles or without advantage ; fritter — used with away

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n., v., & adj. --n. 1 a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a stupid person. 2 hist. a jester; a clown. 3 a dupe. --v. 1 tr. deceive so as to cause to appear foolish. 2 tr. (foll. by into + verbal noun, or out of) trick; cause to do something foolish. 3 tr. play tricks on; dupe. 4 intr. act in a joking, frivolous, or teasing way. 5 intr. (foll. by about, around) behave in a playful or silly way. --adj. US colloq. foolish, silly. Phrases and idioms: act (or play) the fool behave in a silly way. fool's errand a fruitless venture. fool's gold iron pyrites. fool's paradise happiness founded on an illusion. fool's parsley a species of hemlock resembling parsley. make a fool of make (a person or oneself) look foolish; trick or deceive. no (or nobody's) fool a shrewd or prudent person. Etymology: ME f. OF fol f. L follis bellows, empty-headed person 2. n. a dessert of usu. stewed fruit crushed and mixed with cream, custard, etc. Etymology: 16th c.: perh. f. FOOL(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fool Fool, n. [Cf. F. fouler to tread, crush. Cf. 1st Foil.] A compound of gooseberries scalded and crushed, with cream; -- commonly called gooseberry fool.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fool Fool, n. [OE. fol, n. & adj., F. fol, fou, foolish, mad; a fool, prob. fr. L. follis a bellows, wind bag, an inflated ball; perh. akin to E. bellows. Cf. Folly, Follicle.] 1. One destitute of reason, or of the common powers of understanding; an idiot; a natural. 2. A person deficient in intellect; one who acts absurdly, or pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom; one without judgment; a simpleton; a dolt. Extol not riches, then, the toil of fools. --Milton. Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other. --Franklin. 3. (Script.) One who acts contrary to moral and religious wisdom; a wicked person. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. --Ps. xiv. 1. 4. One who counterfeits folly; a professional jester or buffoon; a retainer formerly kept to make sport, dressed fantastically in motley, with ridiculous accouterments. Can they think me . . . their fool or jester? --Milton. April fool, Court fool, etc. See under April, Court, etc. Fool's cap, a cap or hood to which bells were usually attached, formerly worn by professional jesters. Fool's errand, an unreasonable, silly, profitless adventure or undertaking. Fool's gold, iron or copper pyrites, resembling gold in color. Fool's paradise, a name applied to a limbo (see under Limbo) popularly believed to be the region of vanity and nonsense. Hence, any foolish pleasure or condition of vain self-satistaction. Fool's parsley (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant ([AE]thusa Cynapium) resembling parsley, but nauseous and poisonous. To make a fool of, to render ridiculous; to outwit; to shame. [Colloq.] To play the fool, to act the buffoon; to act a foolish part. ``I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.'' --1 Sam. xxvi. 21.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fool Fool, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fooled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fooling.] To play the fool; to trifle; to toy; to spend time in idle sport or mirth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fool Fool, v. t. 1. To infatuate; to make foolish. --Shak. For, fooled with hope, men favor the deceit. --Dryden. 2. To use as a fool; to deceive in a shameful or mortifying manner; to impose upon; to cheat by inspiring foolish confidence; as, to fool one out of his money. You are fooled, discarded, and shook off By him for whom these shames ye underwent. --Shak. To fool away, to get rid of foolishly; to spend in trifles, idleness, folly, or without advantage.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fools, fooling, fooled) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you call someone a fool, you are indicating that you think they are not at all sensible and show a lack of good judgment. 'You fool!' she shouted... He'd been a fool to get involved with her! = idiot N-COUNT [disapproval] 2. Fool is used to describe an action or person that is not at all sensible and shows a lack of good judgment. (mainly AM INFORMAL) What a damn fool thing to do!... ADJ: ADJ n [disapproval] 3. If someone fools you, they deceive or trick you. Art dealers fool a lot of people... Don't be fooled by his appearance... They tried to fool you into coming after us. = trick, con VERB: V n, V n, V n into -ing 4. If you say that a person is fooling with something or someone, you mean that the way they are behaving is likely to cause problems. What are you doing fooling with such a staggering sum of money?... VERB: V with n 5. If you make a fool of someone, you make them seem silly by telling people about something stupid that they have done, or by tricking them. Your brother is making a fool of you... He'd been made a fool of. PHRASE: V and N inflect 6. If you make a fool of yourself, you behave in a way that makes other people think that you are silly or lacking in good judgment. He was drinking and making a fool of himself. PHRASE: V and N inflect 7. If you say to someone 'More fool you' when they tell you what they have done or what they plan to do, you are indicating that you think that it is silly and shows a lack of judgment. (BRIT) Most managers couldn't care less about information technology. More fool them. PHRASE [disapproval] 8. If you play the fool or act the fool, you behave in a playful, childish, and foolish way, usually in order to make other people laugh. They used to play the fool together, calling each other silly names and giggling. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Idiot, natural. 2. Dolt, witling, driveller, idiot, simpleton, ninny, nincompoop, blockhead. See dunce. 3. Buffoon, harlequin, droll, punch, antic, jester, zany, clown, merry-andrew, scaramouch, jack-pudding, pickle-herring. II. v. n. Trifle, toy, play, jest, play the fool, play in the monkey, act like a fool. III. v. a. Deceive, cheat, trick, dupe, gull, delude, circumvent, cozen, overreach, beguile, hoodwink, chouse, cully, impose upon.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A fool at the end of a stick; a fool at one end, and a maggot at the other; gibes on an angler.

Moby Thesaurus

Columbine, Hanswurst, Harlequin, Pantalone, Pantaloon, Polichinelle, Pulcinella, Punch, Punchinello, Scaramouch, ament, apish, asinine, ass, babe, bamboozle, banter, batty, be foolish, be stupid, befool, befooled, beguiled, besotted, birdbrain, blockhead, bluff, bonehead, boob, booby, brainless, buffo, buffoon, buffoonish, busybody, butt, butt in, byword, byword of reproach, cavort, cheat, chouse, chucklehead, chump, cinch, clod, clodpate, clodpoll, clown, clown around, cockeyed, come-on, comedian, comedienne, comic, con, coquet, cozen, crazy, credulous, credulous person, cretin, cull, dabble, dabbler, daffy, daft, dally, dawdle, dazed, deceive, defraud, delude, derision, dilettante, dimwit, dizzy, dolt, donkey, doodle, dope, doting, droll, dumb, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, dupe, easy mark, easy pickings, entertainer, fair game, fake, fake out, fall guy, farceur, fatuitous, fatuous, featherbrain, featherhead, feign, fiddle, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fidget with, figure of fun, finger with, fish, flaky, fleece, flirt, fond, fool around, fool with, foolheaded, foolish, footle, fribble, frivol, frolic, fuddled, futile, gaga, gambol, game, gazingstock, get funny, git, go haywire, goat, gobe-mouches, goofy, goon, goose, greener, greenhorn, greeny, gudgeon, gull, gulled, half-wit, harlequin, hoax, hoodwink, horn in, horse around, humbug, idiot, idiotic, idle, ignoramus, illiterate, illiterati, imbecile, inane, inept, infatuated, innocent, insane, instrument, interfere, interlope, intermeddle, invite ridicule, jack-pudding, jackass, jay, jerk, jerk off, jest, jester, jestingstock, joke, joker, jokester, josh, kid, kid around, know-nothing, kooky, laughingstock, lead on, leadpipe cinch, loiter, loon, loony, loser, lowbrow, mad, madman, make, make believe, mark, maudlin, meddle with, merry-andrew, mess around, middlebrow, mislead, mockery, monkey, monkey around, monkey with, mooncalf, moron, moronic, motley, motley fool, mug, natural, nincompoop, ninny, ninnyhammer, nit, nitwit, no scholar, numskull, nutty, oaf, patsy, pickle-herring, piddle, pigeon, pinhead, play, play around, play the buffoon, play the fool, play with, plaything, pluck, poop, potter, pretend, prize sap, puddinghead, pushover, put one on, putter, rattlebrain, retard, romp, sap, saphead, sappy, scatterbrain, schlemiel, schmuck, screwy, senseless, sentimental, silly, simple, simpleton, sitting duck, smatter, snow, softhead, spoof, stock, stooge, string along, stupid, sucker, swindle, take in, tamper, tamper with, target, tease, tenderfoot, thoughtless, tinker, tomfool, tool, toy, toy with, trick, trifle, trifle with, trusting soul, twiddle, twist, twit, unintelligentsia, victim, wacky, wanton, wet, witless, zany