fun

noun \ ˈfən \

|Updated on: 25 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: fun in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Can something be funner or funnest?

Definition of fun

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

3 a : 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.

See fun defined for English-language learners

See fun defined for kids

Examples of fun in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of fun from the Web

Burnham said role-playing and creative activities encourage youngsters to have fun with history; the museum educators aim to inspire future generations to invest in preserving Montpelier.

— patti restivo, Howard County Times, "Montpelier Mansion celebrating and fundraising," 22 June 2018
Now in its fourth year, Pet Refuge hosts the summer camp with the goal of not only educating and having fun with the kids, but also teaching them how to be proper animal caregivers, said Pam Comer, Pet Refuge executive director.

— allie kirkman, Post-Tribune, "Camp uses yoga with kittens to teach youths animal care," 22 June 2018
Boris Johnson seems to regard foreigners as figures of fun and likes to point out that all good things were invented in Britain.

— The Economist, "Podsnappery and its reverse," 21 June 2018
And while there's lots of fun to be had, families should be mindful of the dangers.

— lauren castle, azcentral, "Carbon monoxide can be silent killer of boaters. Here's how to stay safe," 21 June 2018
Those speaking of Rohrer, a 35-year-old husband and father of two young children, remembered an imaginative young man who became a dedicated deputy but never lost his sense of fun.

— ian cummings, glenn e. rice, lauren fox, katie bernard and robert a. cronkleton, kansascity, "'Thank you just isn't good enough.' Police, friends and family bid deputies farewell," 21 June 2018
There’s no satisfaction in his voice, still less a spark of fun, and what the two of them are doing should not be mistaken for a game.

— anthony lane, The New Yorker, "“Leave No Trace” and “Three Identical Strangers”," 21 June 2018
The city’s parks and recreation department has a couple of fun upcoming events.

— mary schneidau sullivan, Laurel Leader, "Camp offers "faith-deepening" adventures [Old Town]," 21 June 2018
For those children who aren't ready for camp to end, staff are adding another week of fun from Aug. 13 to Aug. 17.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Wethersfield Edition," 19 June 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of fun

English dialect fun to hoax, perhaps alteration of Middle English fonnen, from fonne dupe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1726

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fun Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of fun

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

fun

verb

Definition of fun

funned; funning

intransitive verb

: to indulge in banter or play : joke

See fun defined for English-language learners

Examples of fun in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of fun from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of fun

see ¹fun

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1802

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

fun Synonyms

Synonyms

banter, chaff, fool, gag, jape, jest, jive, joke, jolly, josh, kid, quip, wisecrack;

Related Words

gibe (or jibe), haze, jeer, mock, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, tease;

caricature, lampoon, parody, satirize;

amuse, divert, entertain;

Phrases

crack wise;

fun

adjective

Definition of fun

sometimes funner; sometimes funnest

1 : providing entertainment, amusement, or enjoyment

a fun party

a fun person to be with

2 : full of fun : pleasant

have a fun time

See fun defined for English-language learners

Examples of fun in a Sentence

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 of fun from the Web

Come on out to the ballpark for the cheapest and most fun night in town.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "New season, new fun, new food coming with IronBirds opener," 7 June 2018
That was fun, Friday late evening with my buddy as my wingman.

— tony bravo, SFChronicle.com, "Lea DeLaria talks Bowie, butch style and her favorite SF spots," 6 June 2018
Wine tasting in the park, online dating horror stories, and Danny Trejo Spring is in the air and Los Angeles is buzzing with fun things to do.

— brittany martin, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Best Things to Do in L.A. This Week," 4 June 2018
The project was a fun way to demonstrate that the μRobotex can operate with an accuracy of less than two nanometers.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Scientists Built the World’s Smallest House," 24 May 2018
But there was one part of the trip that wasn't so fun — making an emergency trip to the doctor.

— jamie ballard, Good Housekeeping, "Jeremy Roloff Shares Details About His Daughter Ember's Scary Doctor Visit," 7 May 2018
Most of the time, however, the movie is really fun.

— randy cordova, azcentral, "Loving documentary 'Always at the Carlyle' is worth a visit," 24 May 2018
Pro tips: 32 party do’s and don’ts Summer was fun, with vacation and brunches and lazy days with friends.

— carolyne zinko, SFChronicle.com, "SF protocol queen Charlotte Shultz undaunted by elections, cancer after 55 years serving city," 24 May 2018
To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter Vaginal tears certainly don't sound like the most fun part of parenthood.

— blake bakkila, Health.com, "Here's What Chrissy Teigen Meant When She Said 'Life Is 90% Better When You Don't Rip to Your Butthole' During Childbirth," 22 May 2018

Can something be funner or funnest?

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.

Origin and Etymology of fun

see ¹fun

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1827

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fun Synonyms

Synonyms

amusing, delightful, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, pleasurable;

Antonyms

boring, drab, dreary, dull, flat, heavy, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, pleasureless, ponderous, stodgy, stuffy, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying;

Near Antonyms

disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, uncongenial, unlovely, unpleasant, unpleasing, unwelcome;

recreational;

antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, humorous, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, sidesplitting, uproarious;

blithesome, gay, gleeful, happy, jocose, jocund, jolly, jovial, merry, mirthful, sunny;

exciting, stimulating, thrilling;

FUN Defined for English Language Learners

fun

noun

Definition of fun for English Language Learners

: someone or something that is amusing or enjoyable : an enjoyable experience or person
: an enjoyable or amusing time
: the feeling of being amused or entertained

fun

verb

Definition of fun for English Language Learners

: to speak or act in a way that is not serious

fun

adjective

Definition of fun for English Language Learners

: providing amusement : amusing or enjoyable

FUN Defined for Kids

fun

noun \ ˈfən \

Definition of fun for Students

1 : someone or something that provides amusement or enjoyment

They were fun to play with.

2 : a good time

We had a lot of fun.

She painted for fun.

3 : words or actions to make someone or something an object of ridicule

He made fun of my singing.

fun

adjective

Definition of fun for Students

1 : providing fun

a fun trip

2 : full of fun

We had a fun time together.

Learn More about fun

See words that rhyme with fun Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fun Spanish Central: Translation of fun Nglish: Translation of fun for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fun for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fun? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

fun

Definition of fun

Video: Fun, Funner, Funnest

Examples of fun in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fun from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fun

fun Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of fun

fun

Definition of fun

Examples of fun in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fun from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fun

fun Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases

fun

Definition of fun

Examples of fun in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fun from the Web

Can something be funner or funnest?

Origin and Etymology of fun

fun Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to FUN

Related Phrases

FUN Defined for English Language Learners

fun

Definition of fun for English Language Learners

fun

Definition of fun for English Language Learners

fun

Definition of fun for English Language Learners

FUN Defined for Kids

fun

Definition of fun for Students

fun

Definition of fun for Students

Learn More about fun

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What It Means to Go ‘Radio Silent’

Words for Summer: A Quiz

If the Shoe Fits

Trending: 'Asylum' Trends as Policies Draw Attention

Ghost Word