1
as in tricked
to cause to believe what is untrue
I fooled him into thinking that we were driving to the store, not to his surprise birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in joked
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
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Recent Examples of fooled
Don't be fooled in thinking this spiked tea came from New York—this fan-favorite version hails from Tennessee.
—
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
So don’t be fooled by temporary price drops that come with endless statements about deals being made.
—Matt Randolph, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Pros & Cons Rosetta Stone is now called Rosetta Stone Sapphire—but don't be fooled.
—Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
Jim said he was fooled by two rounds of significant insider buys from Hill and Tim Cook, outgoing Apple CEO and Nike director.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 27 May 2026
Iwamasa fooled their family, Madeline Morrison wrote.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 27 May 2026
Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 26 May 2026
He has been fooled into selling them out for less than a pack of gum.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 24 May 2026
He should not be fooled by the sudden enthusiasm around the arrival of the young players who have emerged recently.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
So don’t be fooled by temporary price drops that come with endless statements about deals being made.
—Matt Randolph, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
Pros & Cons Rosetta Stone is now called Rosetta Stone Sapphire—but don't be fooled.
—Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026
Jim said he was fooled by two rounds of significant insider buys from Hill and Tim Cook, outgoing Apple CEO and Nike director.
—Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 27 May 2026
Iwamasa fooled their family, Madeline Morrison wrote.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 27 May 2026
Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 26 May 2026
He has been fooled into selling them out for less than a pack of gum.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 24 May 2026
He should not be fooled by the sudden enthusiasm around the arrival of the young players who have emerged recently.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooled
Verb
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Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois’ shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere’s stick and tricked Rooney.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
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Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois' shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere's stick and tricked Rooney.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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For real this time Craig Stammen has joked about managing games at Nationals Park before.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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Others joked about returning to the Catholic Church after a lifetime of agnosticism and atheism.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
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When both technology and human judgment can be deceived at the point of execution, defense must shift upstream into design, process and governance.—
Steve Piper,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The indictment alleges that the group, which is best known for its work to oppose the Ku Klux Klan, lied to donors about paying confidential informants to infiltrate hate groups and deceived banks about the bank accounts used to make those payments.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fooled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooled. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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