fool: Meaning and Definition of

fool

Pronunciation: (fl), [key]
— n.
  1. a silly or stupid person; a person who lacks judgment or sense.
  2. a professional jester, formerly kept by a person of royal or noble rank for amusement: the court fool.
  3. a person who has been tricked or deceived into appearing or acting silly or stupid: to make a fool of someone.
  4. an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm (usually prec. by a present participle): He's just a dancing fool.
  5. a weak-minded or idiotic person.
  6. to be wise or shrewd.
—v.t.
  1. to trick, deceive, or impose on: They tried to fool him.
—v.i.
  1. to act like a fool; joke; play.
  2. to jest; pretend; make believe: I was only fooling.
  3. She fooled around all through school.
    1. to putter aimlessly; waste time:She fooled around all through school.
    2. to philander or flirt.
    3. to be sexually promiscuous, esp. to engage in adultery.
  4. to spend foolishly, as time or money; squander: to fool away the entire afternoon.
  5. to handle or play with idly or carelessly: to be hurt while fooling with a loaded gun; to fool with someone's affections.

fool

Pronunciation: (fl), [key]
— n. British Cookery.
  1. a dish made of fruit, scalded or stewed, crushed and mixed with cream or the like: gooseberry fool.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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