From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfoolfool1 /fuːl/ ●●○ noun 1 stupid person [countable]STUPID/NOT SENSIBLE a stupid person or someone who has done something stupid SYN idiot What a fool she had been to think that he would stay. Like a fool, I accepted straight away. You silly old fool!2 → make a fool of yourself3 → make a fool of somebody4 → any fool can do something5 → be no/nobody’s fool6 → gooseberry/strawberry etc fool7 → more fool you/him etc8 → not suffer fools gladly9 → be living in a fool’s paradise10 → play/act the fool11 → (send somebody on) a fool’s errand12 → fools rush in (where angels fear to tread)13 → a fool and his money are soon parted14 entertainer [countable]AP a man whose job was to entertain a king or other powerful people in the past, by doing tricks, singing funny songs etc SYN jester → April fool
Examples from the Corpus
fool• Anyone who thinks TV news gives you enough information is a fool.• She made you look a bit of a fool in front of anyone else who was watching.• What a fool I am, thought Mrs. Fanshawe.• We'd be devalued again and any fool but the government can see it coming, can't they?• They'd X-rayed my chest when any fool knew that it was the kidney that had had to come out.• This new lot have come up because the landowners are fools.• Epithets can be abusive: You clumsy fool! epitome A short summary of a speech or book.• Some fool backed over mine in a car park.• What does that fool think he's doing?silly old fool• What a silly old fool he was.foolfool2 ●○○ verb 1 [transitive]TRICK/DECEIVE to trick someone into believing something that is not true Even art experts were fooled.you don’t/can’t fool me You can’t fool me with that old excuse.be fooled by something Don’t be fooled by appearances.fool somebody into doing something I was fooled into believing their promises.2 → fool yourself3 → you could have fooled me4 → somebody is just fooling → fool around → fool with something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
fool• The brothers' act had us all fooled.• His hairpiece doesn't fool anyone.• Dominic was just fooling around - flirting.• They are not fooled by women who pretend to love sports.• Do you think you can fool me, Armagnac at sunset?• You can't fool me - I know he's already given you the money.• It would have fooled me, let alone a buffalo.• All I can say having watched Torvill and Dean's peerless and emotional performances ... you could have fooled me.• Maybe I was just fooling myself, but I really thought he liked me.• The recording fooled the enemy about troop movements.• They managed to fool the police into thinking they had left the country.• Did, did you fool with your crab meat yet?• He is also a deeply private person whose kindly, smiling face could fool you.fool somebody into doing something• Don't be fooled into buying more insurance than you need.foolfool3 adjective [only before noun] American English informal STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEsilly or stupid SYN foolish What did you say a fool thing like that for?Examples from the Corpus
fool• What that fool box might teach us about the world is breathtaking to consider.• Look there that old fool Broom, slipped off to sleep.• I tell you, the whole fool scheme is worth trying, just for the sake of this last part.Origin fool1 (1200-1300) Old French fol, from Latin follis “bag for blowing air”