fool 1 of 3

1
2
as in clown
a person formerly kept in a royal or noble household to amuse with jests and pranks a king's fool could get away with saying things that others in the palace couldn't

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4

fool

2 of 3

adjective

fool

3 of 3

verb

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 fool
Noun
Read more What People Think Opinions related to business and economic issues submitted to The Hill: Crypto’s $10 trillion runaway train potentially threatens the financial system Looking for logic in Trump’s tariffs is a fool’s errand You’re all caught up. Aris Folley, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025 First, anyone going to Serena with an idea that doesn’t directly benefit Serena is on a fool’s errand. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
And the pregnancy is essential to both versions of The Wedding Banquet, films that turn out to be less about fooling conservative relatives and more about the creation of a new kind of family. Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025 Often these scams will impersonate a retailer or shipping company to fool the victim. James Peckham, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool
Noun
  • Clown Alert This post is a scaredy-cat guide designed mostly for viewers who suffer from flight anxiety, but some people are scared of clowns too.
    Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
  • The teaser does feature a glimpse at Calypso, the man who hosts the tournament, as well as a signature laugh from Sweet Tooth the terrifying clown.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Trump administration has characterized that role as one for suckers, in which the United States restrained its hard power and allowed other countries to bleed its wealth.
    Margaret MacMillan, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
  • These stems, called suckers, are a different variety than the top growth and will have different flowers, as well as drawing energy and resources away from the main plant.
    Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But the Liberals are an electoral machine—something of a rarity on the center-left—that would be foolish to bet against.
    Daniel Block, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2025
  • His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.
    Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Jurors found Peters guilty in August for using someone else’s security badge to give an expert affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell access to the Mesa County election system and deceiving other officials about that person’s identity.
    Colleen Slevin, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Stribling tried to deceive officers by saying Bailei was shot in a robbery, The Detroit News reported.
    Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The video was originally posted on Timberlake's Instagram, with the musician joking about being one of Kelce’s supporting stars.
    Natasha Dye, People.com, 2 May 2025
  • In the interview, Cannon casually joked about insuring his testicles for a whopping $10,000,000, claiming each one was worth $5,000,000.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Learn more about management options and which food plants are most susceptible to this insect in our harlequin bug on vegetables web page.
    Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Once infused with the diabolical spirit, the guide is transformed into a buffoon, complete with a harlequin outfit—a mad joker and a dancing fool who does a little jig to the sound of a jazz trio.
    Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • This could spark a secret crush or dreams of a past lover may resurface.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 May 2025
  • The attire will be a return to form for Combs, a fashion lover who partly rose to superstardom with the success of his Sean John clothing brand.
    Jay Stahl, USA Today, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • In the official trailer for the new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, there’s more talk about serial killers, sadistic psychopaths, and Elias Voit — the notorious Sicarius Killer played by the enthusiastic Zach Gilford.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The subsequent two hours unfold in the broadest of brush strokes as the heroic Anakin devolves into a yellow-eyed, child-slaughtering psychopath in a preposterously short amount of time.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Fool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fool

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!