Word
fooling
Phoneticsfool·ing
US/ˈfuɫɪŋ/
UK/fˈuːlɪŋ/
Definition
v. tricking someone into believing something that is not true. You often do this as a joke or to get what you want.
v. the present participle of 'fool'; refers to the act of deceiving or tricking someone, often for amusement or to gain an advantage.
Examples
“I was only fooling when I said I was moving away.”
“He thought he was fooling everyone with his disguise, but his voice gave him away immediately.”
“The con artist spent months fooling the investors into believing the startup was profitable, using falsified documents and staged demonstrations to maintain the illusion.”
Examples
simple
“I was only fooling when I said I was moving away.”
contextual
“He thought he was fooling everyone with his disguise, but his voice gave him away immediately.”
complex
“The con artist spent months fooling the investors into believing the startup was profitable, using falsified documents and staged demonstrations to maintain the illusion.”
Usage
Often used in the continuous form to describe a current state of deception or joking.
Pitfall
He is fooling of me
He is fooling me
The verb 'fool' is transitive and takes a direct object without a preposition.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/fooling