noun

fool

noun

A person who acts or thinks without good sense or judgment.

"Only a fool would invest his life savings without doing any research."

"Don't be a fool — read the contract before you sign it."

Historically, a jester employed to entertain a royal court.

"The king's fool was the only one allowed to mock him openly."

A British dessert made of pureed fruit folded into cream or custard.

"We had gooseberry fool for pudding."

verb

To trick or deceive someone.

"The scammer fooled dozens of people out of their savings."

"You can't fool me twice with the same excuse."

How to Use Fool

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSomeone who lacks good judgment, or the act of deceiving someone; also a fruity British dessert.

Common mistake

The dessert sense is unrelated to the "silly person" sense in most people's minds, though both trace back to the same word.

Common pairings

make a fool of fool around nobody's fool

fooler comparative, more fool comparative, fooled past tense, fools plural, fools plural, fools singular, foolest superlative, most fool superlative

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Only a _____ would invest his life savings without doing any research.

From Old French fol, "mad," ultimately from Latin follis, "bellows" or "bag of air" — the idea being a fool is all wind, no substance.

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