What does "fool" mean?
A person with poor judgment or little intelligence.
Fool
/fuːl/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person with poor judgment or little intelligence.
- Grammar: fool is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chump, clown, dunce, mug.
- Useful contrasts: sapient being, smartest, wise.
- Usage evidence: He is no more a fool than you are.
How to use "fool"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fool" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fool" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fool" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fool" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fool" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chump" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fool", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person with poor judgment or little intelligence. derogatory
"You were a fool to cross that busy road without looking."
- 2 A type of dessert made of puréed fruit and custard or cream.
"an apricot fool; a gooseberry fool"
- 3 a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of wordnet
- 4 A jester; a person whose role was to entertain a sovereign and the court (or lower personages). historical
"1896, Frederick Peterson IN Popular Science Monthly Volume 50 December 1896 , Idiots Savants This court fool could say bright things on occasion, but his main use to the ladies and lords of the palace was to serve as victim to practical jokes, cruel, coarse, and vulgar enough to be appreciated perhaps in the Bowery."
- 5 a person who lacks good judgment wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 A stock character typified by unintelligence, naïveté or lucklessness, usually as a form of comic relief; often used as a source of insight or pathos for the audience, as such characters are generally less bound by social expectations.
- 7 a professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages wordnet
- 8 Someone who has been made a fool of or tricked; dupe.
"Such clouds of nameless trouble cross All night below the darken’d eyes; With morning wakes the will, and cries, ‘Thou shalt not be the fool of loss.’"
- 9 Someone who derives pleasure from something specified. informal
"Can they think me […] their fool or jester?"
- 10 An informal greeting akin to buddy, dude, or man. slang
"Upon opening the door, Trech was suddenly drawn aback by the shocking presence of the armed goon standing directly in front of him. “Yo, what up fool? […]”"
- 11 A particular card in a tarot deck, representing a jester.
Verb
- 1 To trick; to deceive. transitive
"She bit it gently and found that it resembled a worm in no way whatsoever as to taste although because it was long and slender, a Little Red Hen might easily be fooled by its appearance."
- 2 indulge in horseplay wordnet
- 3 To act in an idiotic manner; to act foolishly. intransitive
"1681/1682, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar Is this a time for fooling?"
- 4 fool or hoax wordnet
- 5 To make a fool of; to make act the fool. archaic
"They fool me to the top of my bent."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 spend frivolously and unwisely wordnet
- 7 make a fool or dupe of wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Foolish. informal
"Of all the fool, fruitless jobs, making anything of a creature that begins by deceiving her, is the foolest a sane woman ever undertook."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of fool (“a particular card in a tarot deck, representing a jester”). alt-of
Example
"He is no more a fool than you are."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fool"?
Common synonyms include: chump, clown, dunce, mug, muggins, sucker.
How do you use "fool" in a sentence?
He is no more a fool than you are.
How do you pronounce "fool"?
Pronounced /fuːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English fole (“fool”), from Old French fol (cf. modern French fou (“mad”)) from Latin follis. Doublet of fals and follis. Displaced native Old English dwæs.
Etymology 2
From Old French fouler (“to mix or mash”).