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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in joked
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
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Recent Examples of fooled
In other words, don’t be fooled.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Don’t be fooled by the small bowl either.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
Convinced there’s nothing untoward going on, the company could be persuaded to part with their money before ever knowing they were so spectacularly fooled.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
New Yorkers shouldn’t be fooled by corporate attempts like this to shift blame away from the real problem.
—David Carlucci, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Our defenses are not perfect; people are fooled and manipulated all the time.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
Quince Organic Cotton Fisherman Boxy Cropped Cardigan Don’t be fooled by its $50 price; this Quince Organic Cotton Fisherman Boxy Cropped Cardigan looks oh-so-luxurious.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 18 Jan. 2026
The first generation of Iranian revolutionaries—including octogenarians like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—have long fooled themselves about their future.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Don’t be fooled by the easy assembly process, though, as this office chair is more advanced than meets the eye.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Don’t be fooled by the small bowl either.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
Convinced there’s nothing untoward going on, the company could be persuaded to part with their money before ever knowing they were so spectacularly fooled.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
New Yorkers shouldn’t be fooled by corporate attempts like this to shift blame away from the real problem.
—David Carlucci, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Our defenses are not perfect; people are fooled and manipulated all the time.
—Bruce Schneier, IEEE Spectrum, 21 Jan. 2026
Quince Organic Cotton Fisherman Boxy Cropped Cardigan Don’t be fooled by its $50 price; this Quince Organic Cotton Fisherman Boxy Cropped Cardigan looks oh-so-luxurious.
—Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 18 Jan. 2026
The first generation of Iranian revolutionaries—including octogenarians like Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—have long fooled themselves about their future.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2026
Don’t be fooled by the easy assembly process, though, as this office chair is more advanced than meets the eye.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooled
Verb
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Wiles barely could make the tight final left-hand turn that had tricked Monsen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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During the show, Gleeson — an Irish actor best known for starring in the Harry Potter movies — joked about appearing in one of Swift’s music videos, according to the singer.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Wild forward Nico Sturm has been breaking in his Team Germany skates at a few Minnesota practices, and joked about hiding his on-ice moves from NHL teammates that may be foes in Italy.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And don’t be deceived by Saturday’s sunny skies as the high will be 32 with wind chills as low as 9 degrees.—
Amanda McCoy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fooled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooled. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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