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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of fool in English

fool
noun
uk
/fuːl/ us
/fuːl/

fool noun (PERSON)

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B1 [ C ]
a person who behaves in a silly way without thinking:
[ as form of address ] You fool, you missed your chance!
He's a fool if he thinks she still loves him.
[ + to infinitive ] He's a fool to think she still loves him.
like a fool He said he would pay me back and like a fool, I believed him.
feel like a fool I felt like a fool when I dropped my phone in the toilet.
make a fool of someone
B2
to trick someone or make someone appear stupid in some way:
You made a fool of me in front of all those people!
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make a fool of yourself
B2
to do something that makes other people think you are silly or not to be respected:
I got a little drunk and made a fool of myself.
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any fool
anyone:
Any fool could tell that she was joking.
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be no fool (also be nobody's fool)
to not be stupid or easily deceived:
I notice Ed didn't offer to pay for her - he's no fool.
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more fool someone UK
said to mean that you think someone is being unwise:
"I lent Rhoda £100 and she hasn't paid me back." "More fool you - you know what she's like!"
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Stupid and silly people
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[ C ]
in the past, a person who was employed in the court of a king or queen to make the court laugh by telling jokes and doing funny things
act/play the fool
to behave in a silly way, often intentionally to make people laugh:
Stop acting the fool, I'm trying to talk to you.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Entertainers in general
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fool noun (SWEET DISH)

[ C or U ] UK
a sweet, soft food made of crushed fruit, cream, and sugar:
If you are serving gooseberry fool on its own, add a little extra sugar.
 
Drool Ltd William Lingwood/GettyImages
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Puddings, desserts & ices
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fool
verb
uk
/fuːl/ us
/fuːl/
B2 [ I or T ]
to trick someone:
Don't be fooled by his appearance.
She said she was doing it to help me, but I wasn't fooled.
be fooled into Tim was fooled into believing that he'd won a lot of money.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to deceive someone
  • deceiveThe cigarette companies deceived the public about the health risks of cigarettes.
  • deceive yourselfYou'd be deceiving yourself if you believed that.
  • trickShe felt they had tricked her into saying more than she intended.
  • foolYou don't fool me with your innocent act.
  • take inThey claimed to be destitute, but we weren't taken in.
  • pull the wool over someone's eyesI'm not stupid. You can't pull the wool over my eyes like that.
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you could have fooled me! informal
used to tell someone that you do not believe what they have just said:
"Really, I'm very happy." "You could have fooled me."
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More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Cheating & tricking
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Phrasal verbs

fool around
fool with something
fool
adjective [ before noun ]
mainly US informal
uk
/fuːl/ us
/fuːl/
silly:
You've done some fool things in your time, but this beats everything.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Stupid and silly
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(Definition of fool from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

fool | American Dictionary

fool
noun [ C ]
us
/ful/
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a person who behaves in a silly way, or someone who lacks judgment:
Crazy I may be, but I try not to be a fool.
I know I’m making a fool of myself, but I can’t help it.
They were dressed up like a bunch of fools.
fool
adjective [ not gradable ]
  not standard
us
/ful/
silly or stupid:
I made a damn fool mistake, but I’ll never do it again.
fool
verb [ I/T ]
us
/ful/
to trick or deceive someone:
[ T ] She tries to fool people about her age by wearing heavy makeup and coloring her hair.
[ I ] You don’t owe me a penny, I was only fooling (= joking).

Phrasal verbs

fool around
fool around
fool with something
(Definition of fool from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
What is the pronunciation of fool?
 

Translations of fool

in Chinese (Traditional)
人, 傻瓜，笨蛋，蠢人, （舊時宮廷裡的）弄臣，小丑…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
人, 傻瓜，笨蛋，蠢人, （旧时宫廷里的）弄臣，小丑…
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in Spanish
tonto, tonta, postre cremoso elaborado a base de fruta…
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in Portuguese
idiota, bobo, boba…
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in more languages
in Marathi
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विचार न करता मूर्खपणे वागणारी व्यक्ती, फसवणे…
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ばか者, （人）をだます, 愚（おろ）か者（もの）…
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aptal, budala, kandırmak…
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idiot/idiote [masculine-feminine], duper, imbécile…
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ximple, beneit, -a…
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dwaas, erin laten lopen, gek doen…
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சிந்திக்காமல் வேடிக்கையான முறையில் நடந்து கொள்ளும் ஒரு நபர், ஒருவரை ஏமாற்ற…
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मूर्ख, बेवकूफ, ठगना…
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મૂર્ખ, છેતરપિંડી…
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fjols, nar, narre…
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dåre, dumbom, tok…
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bodoh, memperbodoh-bodohkan, main-main…
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der Narr / die Närrin, zum Narren halten, Possen treiben…
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tosk [masculine], lure, fjols…
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بیوقوف, احمق, بے وقوف بنانا…
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дурень, обдурювати, блазнювати…
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అవివేకి, ఏ మాత్రం ఆలోచించకుండా అమాయకంగా, ఇంగితజ్ఞానం లేకుండా ప్రవర్తించే వ్యక్తి…
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বোকা, কাউকে বোকা বানানো…
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blázen, oklamat, napálit…
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orang bodoh, membodohi, main-main…
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คนโง่, หลอกลวง, ทำเป็นตลก…
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kẻ ngu đần, dùng thủ đoạn hay lừa đảo ai, xử sự một cách dại dột…
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głupiec, oszukać, zwodzić…
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멍청이, 다른 사람을 속이다…
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sciocco, -a, ingannare…
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fooding and lodging
foodstuff
foodway
foody
fool
fool around phrasal verb
fool with something phrasal verb
fool's errand
fool's gold

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