English Reference
Idiom idiom

fool around

Meaning

To engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“Stop fooling around and finish your homework.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The teacher told the students to stop fooling around because they had a big exam tomorrow.”

COMPLEX

“Instead of focusing on the urgent project, the team spent the entire afternoon fooling around with minor, unimportant details.”

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    flannelled fool

    A cricketer (from the white flannel trousers they traditionally wear).

  2. 02

    fool away

    to waste, squander

  3. 03

    lump of school

    [Cockney slang]fool

  4. 04

    play the fool

    To behave in a foolish or comical manner.

  5. 05

    suffer fools gladly

    To be tolerant of stupidity or incompetence in other people.

Last updated August 10, 2026