fools 1 of 2

noun

plural of fool
1
as in lunatics
a person who lacks good sense or judgment only a fool would attempt to climb that mountain unprepared

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clowns
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

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3
as in suckers
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something I'm a fool for ice cream

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in maniacs
a person having or showing a severely disordered or abnormal state of mind he got out of serving in the army by successfully pretending to be a fool

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fools

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of fool
1
as in tricks
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 jokes
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 fools
Noun
The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026 In a room full of fascists and fools, Ahmed’s projection of competence—and of the spluttering exasperation that is the lot of the competent—proves a genuine balm. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026 The retail army’s outlandish behavior and eccentric stock choices—which included bankrupt Hertz and Bed Bath & Beyond—led many on Wall Street to initially dismiss them as fools who would soon be gone. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026 Judge Judy star Judith Sheindlin famously does not suffer fools. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026 Like Rick Nelson’s fools, the Zellners also rush in where angels fear to tread, and their love for the bizarre, the cool and the crazy is, like the epidemic of emotions facing the Alpha Gang, wildly infectious. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026 Some want to live vicariously through them, while others joke about the poor fools who fell for their tactics. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Pace, skill, a vicious shot, the ability to make opposition defenders look like fools. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026
Verb
Sebastian Galeano fools the Lake Mary defense by carrying it himself and scampers 40 yards for the touchdown. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch. — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fools
  1. lunatics
  2. clowns
  3. suckers
  4. maniacs
  5. tricks
  6. jokes
  7. nuts
  8. jokers
Noun
  • Republicans see an opportunity here, portraying progressive and socialist Democrats as lunatics and communists.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • While sane Americans were celebrating the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, the lunatics in Portland, Oregon were cheering along as two men made out on a baseball field during a 'Heated Rivalry' theme night.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of lunatics
Noun
  • The gasoline shortage has become such a feature of daily life that even clowns at Moscow’s circus have cracked jokes about it.
    — Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Because some of them are showing up to the game looking like clowns.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of clowns
Noun
  • More suckers may continue to appear for several years unless the stump is ground up or treated with tree stump killer.
    — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Sep. 2026
  • One was a regional distributor of garbage trucks, street sweepers, and sewer suckers for municipalities.
    — Eric Zwick, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of suckers
Noun
  • David extended a hand toward me (imaginary attacks by slow, handshake-wielding maniacs are a martial arts class staple).
    — Johanna Stein, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The odd thing about this choice is that, although the DSA’s platform is indeed chock-full of maniacal proposals, on this particular idea, the maniacs have a point.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026
Definition of maniacs
Verb
  • Twenty-one players, two tribes — there’s still tricks up host Jeff Probst’s sleeve.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Mykal-Michelle Harris from Raven’s Home guest stars as Ruby, a mischievous moon imp who tricks Vee.
    — Allison McClain Merrill, Parents, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of tricks
Verb
  • The Facebook post quickly took off on social media and had 1,700 comments and reactions within three hours, most of them jokes.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Diners who sit in those four seats are like guinea pigs, Justus jokes.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of jokes
Noun
  • Pairing fruits with protein or healthy fats, like nuts or cheese, can help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes.
    — Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Your doctor may also recommend eating more iron-rich foods, such as red meat, poultry and fish, as well as legumes, leafy greens, seeds and nuts.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of nuts
Noun
  • The smart kids, the shy ones, the jokers and the loners — every one of them is caught in the pyroclastic flow of adolescence, every minute a negotiation between fitting in and standing out.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The jokers Toth and Jackson, bless them, keep things endearing and funny.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of jokers

Browse Nearby Words

foolproof
fools
fools around
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Cite this Entry

“Fools.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fools. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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