fun

noun

\ ˈfən

Definition of fun

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : what provides amusement or enjoyment specifically : playful often boisterous action or speech full of fun

2 : a mood for finding or making amusement all in fun

3a : amusement, enjoyment sickness takes all the fun out of life play games for fun

b : derisive jest : sport, ridicule a figure of fun They made fun of the way he talked.

4 : violent or excited activity or argument Insults were exchanged and then the fun began.

fun

verb

funned; funning

Definition of fun (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

: to indulge in banter or play : joke

fun

adjective

sometimes funner; sometimes funnest

Definition of fun (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : providing entertainment, amusement, or enjoyment a fun party a fun person to be with

2 : full of fun : pleasant have a fun time

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Can something be funner or funnest? More Example Sentences Learn More about fun

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Choose the Right Synonym for fun

Noun

fun, jest, sport, game, play mean action or speech that provides amusement or arouses laughter. fun usually implies laughter or gaiety but may imply merely a lack of serious or ulterior purpose. played cards just for fun jest implies lack of earnestness and may suggest a hoaxing or teasing. hurt by remarks said only in jest sport applies especially to the arousing of laughter against someone. teasing begun in sport led to anger game is close to sport, and often stresses mischievous or malicious fun. made game of their poor relations play stresses the opposition to earnest without implying any malice or mischief. pretended to strangle his brother in play

Can something be funner or funnest?

Adjective

Fun is a word which many people find does not live up to its definition, especially when it is used as an adjective (meaning “full of fun” or “amusing, enjoyable, pleasant”). In fact, there is a sizable portion of the English-speaking world which does not consider fun to be a proper adjective at all; these people feel that it is only a noun, which is why you sometimes hear that you should write “it was so much fun,” rather than “it was so fun.” It thereby stands to reason that if fun is not an adjective, it should not be used in the comparative and superlative forms of funner and funnest.

However, we do provide a definition for the adjectival use of fun, due to the fact that it has been used in such a fashion since at least the mid-1800s. We also list funner and funnest as comparative and superlative forms, due to the fact that these words are often employed in this manner (although we recognize that there are some who accept fun as an adjective, but feel that “more fun” and “most fun” are preferable). Including funner and funnest is not a directive that you should use these forms; it is a recognition of their existence, and you should feel free to use them or avoid them, as you see fit.

Examples of fun in a Sentence

Noun

I can't remember when I've had so much fun. Sickness takes all the fun out of life.

Verb

He's just funning with you. just a couple of old friends funning with each other

Adjective

Our vacation was a fun time. She's a fun person to be with. The park is a fun place to visit. We had a fun time at the movie.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There are no names on the actors’ pics, but maybe some readers can identify them, so have at it and have fun! — Rich Heileman, cleveland.com, "Motorist, pedestrian caution urged at Berea intersection: Around The Town," 7 June 2019 The beauty of nature, the fun of the ideas that the former owner of the Prehistoric Forest had, the dinosaurs, all the variations on the theme — absolutely marvelous. — John Carlisle, Freep.com, "LAND OF THE LOST Irish Hills tourist stop owner aims to restore dinosaur park," 6 June 2019 More Disney fun than ever + a gesture of thanks to classroom heroes? — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "WATCH: Disney Springs Hotels Celebrate Teacher Appreciation with Amazing Discounts for Educators," 4 June 2019 The royal family also shared a suite of pictures if the children's initial visit, which illustrate just how much fun the kids were having. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Is Designing Another Garden This Season, for the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival," 29 May 2019 At a mere 172 square feet, the tiny space is compact enough to actually fit but still has enough room to be useful, whether it's used for storage or for pure fun. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Amazon Is Selling a DIY Backyard Guest House," 7 May 2019 Like Titanfall before it, Apex Legends has some fun with Nessie, the creature at the bottom of Loch Ness. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Hollow Knight gets a sequel, Neill Blomkamp makes a live-action Anthem trailer," 15 Feb. 2019 The youngest of four until her father remarried and had two more daughters, Sarah loved being around her big family and made everything more fun, Roy and Amber Radney said in phone interviews with The Associated Press on Thursday. — Kate Brumback, Fox News, "Georgia girl, 11, dies as Michael hurls debris through roof," 12 Oct. 2018 Playing the game for fun, gliding across campus like heroes.... — Wil Haygood, WSJ, "‘Adolph Rupp and the Rise of Kentucky Basketball’ Review: Hoop Dreams and Nightmares," 29 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Offerings range from classics like chicken milanese and bucatini carbonara, to fun new combinations like farro risotto and roasted shrimp with ajo blanco sauce. — SELF, "The Best Meal-Kit Delivery Services to Try in 2019," 1 Jan. 2019 Orca that carried dead, decomposing calf for weeks now returns to fun with friends. — Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Clues in stolen plane mystery; Omarosa's secret White House recording sparks security concerns," 13 Aug. 2018 But here are some top spots to visit and fun things to do with your best friend. — Lainey Seyler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 places you can bring your dog around Milwaukee this summer," 16 May 2018 Wide-open acceleration might fun, but slowing down that speeding hunk of metal is much more important. — Alex Leanse, Popular Mechanics, "10 Tire and Brake Problems All Drivers Need to Know," 23 Feb. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The pair, who look more like sisters than mother-daughter (s/o to melanin!) dove deep into Japanese culture experiencing food, culture and even some of the country’s fun adventures. — Danielle Pointdujour, Essence, "Black Travel Vibes: Kandi and Riley's Trip to Tokyo is the Cutest Thing You'll See All Day," 6 June 2019 What makes this both easy and fun is a sweet little garnish bar with more strawberries, orange slices and strips of cucumber. — Al Culliton, Bon Appétit, "A Pimm's Cup Recipe to Start Summer Off Right," 6 June 2019 Neato Botvac D7 Connected: $829 Cleaning up after kids is one of the less fun parts of parenthood. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "6 Great Gifts Ideas for Dad on Father's Day," 5 June 2019 That a-gender fashion and genderless suiting can be fun, colorful, and bold. — Vogue, "19 FIT, Pratt, and Parsons 2019 Graduates on Their Collections and the Future of Fashion," 22 May 2019 There's also a new sport exhaust, fitted with a fuel particulate filter to meet Europe's current emissions standards, because not every part of building a new car can be fun. — Annie White, Car and Driver, "The 2020 Mini JCW Countryman and Clubman Get More Power," 14 May 2019 Platforms like Instagram can be eye-opening, engaging, and just fun—who doesn’t love a good dog or meme account? — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "This Instagram Campaign Wants to Change How We Use Social Media," 2 May 2019 Nonfiction Poor Princess Margaret: so fun, so funny, so trapped in the terrible job of being the queen’s younger sister. — Constance Grady, Vox, "The 16 best books I read in 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 Finding vintage pieces that have a legacy and putting them in the same space as something that is modern, newer is always a fun task. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Meet Alex Alonso, This Week’s Winner of Bravo's Best Room Wins," 23 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fun.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.