Synonyms of fooling

fooling 1 of 3

adjective

as in joking

marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing

ribbed him with fooling comments about how much his hair had grayed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• joking
• kidding
• mocking
• rallying
• bantering
• razzing
• jesting
• sarcastic
• joshing
• quizzical
• funning
• ridiculing
• ribbing
• chaffing
• baiting
• taunting
• needling
• deriding
• bandying
• heckling
• derisive
• hassling
• quipping
• jeering
• contemptuous
• scornful
• derisory
• disdainful

fooling

2 of 3

noun

as in deception

Related Words

• deception
• ruse
• trickery
• subterfuge
• hoodwinking
• wile
• stratagem
• deceit
• prank
• delusion
• fraud
• practical joke
• sham
• escapade
• caper
• skylarking
• gag
• roguery
• hanky-panky
• antic
• trick
• knavery
• shavie
• shine(s)
• lark
• frolic
• monkeyshine(s)
• rag
• experience
• jest
• kidding
• waggery
• dido
• joking
• capriccio
• teasing
• high jinks
• time
• tomfoolery
• horseplay
• roughhousing
• adventure
• rowdyism
• hoax
• game
• ploy
• play
• shenanigan(s)
• gambit
• maneuver
• stunt
• mission
• performance
• deed
• feat

fooling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of fool

1

as in tricking

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

• tricking
• deceiving
• kidding
• deluding
• teasing
• duping
• conning
• hoodwinking
• gulling
• misleading
• misinforming
• misguiding
• bamboozling
• suckering
• bluffing
• hoaxing
• spoofing
• cheating
• humbugging
• juggling
• snookering
• catching
• cozening
• snowing
• stinging
• gaffing
• burning
• having
• sucking in
• beguiling
• stringing along
• taking in
• gammoning
• faking out
• having on
• hornswoggling
• buffaloing
• doing a number on
• defrauding
• sticking
• swindling
• pulling one's leg
• leading one down the garden path
• pulling the wool over one's eyes
• fleecing
• shortchanging
• diddling
• hustling
• rooking
• putting on
• chiseling
• mulcting
• bleeding
• squeezing
• flimflamming
• skinning
• euchring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposing
• revealing
• uncovering
• telling
• disclosing
• unmasking
• debunking
• undeceiving
• showing up
• divulging
• unveiling
• disabusing
• uncloaking
• disillusioning
• disenchanting

2

as in kidding

to make jokes

an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience

Synonyms & Similar Words

• joking
• kidding
• funning
• jesting
• bantering
• jollying
• jiving
• teasing
• wisecracking
• ridiculing
• quipping
• yukking
• joshing
• japing
• gagging
• chaffing
• amusing
• mocking
• jeering
• satirizing
• cracking wise
• razzing
• ragging
• parodying
• caricaturing
• lampooning
• ribbing
• entertaining
• gibing
• hazing
• rallying
• diverting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fooling

Noun

No fooling, April brings some pretty interesting surprises on Netflix. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026

Verb

Anybody hoping that a Netanyahu defeat in October and the emergence of a less controversial successor will reset the table is likely fooling themselves. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Throughout all the commotion, Romelu Lukaku acted as decoy, holding on to the ball, fooling everyone, including the TV producer, who pulled up a graphic showing his recent penalty record. — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026

The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention. — Lane Brown, Vulture, 15 May 2026

After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot. — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026

But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves. — Jamie Lincoln Kitman, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026

Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms. — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026

But Baio says Kassotis has been fooling people for years. — Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026