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

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fooling

2 of 3

noun

as in deception

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in kidding
to make jokes an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fooling
Noun
No fooling, April brings some pretty interesting surprises on Netflix. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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 Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026 Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating. — Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooling
  1. mocking
  2. deception
  3. tricking
  4. joking
  5. ruse
  6. deceiving
  7. trickery
  8. subterfuge
Adjective
  • To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of mocking
Noun
  • Harry and the six other high-profile claimants failed to prove their allegations that the publisher unlawfully obtained private information through methods including private investigators, deception, phone hacking and corrupt payments.
    — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Alleged privacy breaches include voicemail interception, phone hacking and obtaining personal information through deception.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of deception
Verb
  • These fraudulent sites often mimic legitimate stores or rank high in search results, tricking desperate consumers into buying non-existent AC units.
    — Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • The schemes involve a predator pretending to be a teenager online and tricking victims into sending illicit photos of themselves.
    — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Definition of tricking
Verb
  • The Star Wars actor shared a photo of the newlyweds on Instagram on Sunday, July 5, while joking about his whereabouts on their special day.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • Following the convincing 3-0 victory over Czechia while resting some starters, the atmosphere on the Mexican team has been very relaxed, with several videos showing the players joking around with each other.
    — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • But don’t sit at home, doing random tasks for empty nonprofits, believing in the ruse of fulfilling the necessary 200 volunteer hours to get into college.
    — Anya Joseph, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
  • Even before pro-party AI ruses were possible, the Chinese government and its supporters flooded social media with pro-China propaganda and vicious attacks on critics.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of ruse
Verb
  • Those figures, though, are a bit deceiving; infant and childhood mortality dragged them down dramatically.
    — Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 30 June 2026
  • Appearance, though, can be deceiving, but luckily, this shed is still packed with smart features and a clever design that will keep all your belongings safe.
    — Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 29 June 2026
Definition of deceiving
Noun
  • Molière’s irresistible comedy of trickery and mayhem is a dazzling new adaptation by Bill Irwin and Mark O’Donnell — reimagined for today’s audiences with fresh American flair and nonstop physical comedy, according to a news release.
    — News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • The absolute key to France’s attack is the telepathic understanding brewing between Mbappé and Olise, whose combined trickery and close control are in perfect harmony.
    — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of trickery
Noun
  • The majority sees this as subterfuge.
    — Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 26 June 2026
  • The Blacks’ defeat would be certain if not for dragons and subterfuge.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026
Definition of subterfuge

Browse Nearby Words

foolhardy
fooling
fooling around
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Cite this Entry

“Fooling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooling. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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