fool: Meaning and Definition of
fool
Pronunciation: (fl), [key]
— n.
- a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.
- a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement: the court fool.
- a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid: to make a fool of someone.
- an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm (usually prec. by a present participle): He's just a dancing fool.
- a weak-minded or idiotic person.
- to be wise or shrewd.
—v.t.
- to trick, deceive, or impose on: They tried to fool him.
—v.i.
- to act like a fool; joke; play.
- to jest; pretend; make believe: I was only fooling.
- She fooled around all through school.
- to putter aimlessly; waste time:She fooled around all through school.
- to philander or flirt.
- to be sexually promiscuous, esp. to engage in adultery.
- to spend foolishly, as time or money; squander: to fool away the entire afternoon.
- to handle or play with idly or carelessly: to be hurt while fooling with a loaded gun; to fool with someone's affections.
fool
Pronunciation: (fl), [key]
— n. British Cookery.
- a dish made of fruit, scalded or stewed, crushed and mixed with cream or the like: gooseberry fool.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.