fool

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Literature Archaic

n. a person in the past whose job was to tell jokes and entertain a king or queen.

n. a professional jester or entertainer at a royal or noble court, historically permitted to speak truths that others could not.

Español:bufón

“The king's fool was the only person allowed to mock the monarch's decisions.”

“In Shakespearean drama, the fool often serves as a source of profound wisdom disguised as nonsensical riddles.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Cooking British English

n. a cold dessert made of mashed fruit mixed with cream or custard.

n. a traditional British dessert consisting of puréed fruit folded into chilled custard or whipped cream.

“We had a delicious gooseberry fool for dessert after the Sunday roast.”

“The chef prepared a rhubarb fool, balancing the tartness of the fruit with a rich, vanilla-infused double cream.”

B1 · Intermediate

v. to trick someone or make them believe something that is not true.

v. to deceive or dupe someone, often by means of a clever or playful trick.

“You can't fool me with that fake spider; I know it's plastic.”

“The sophisticated phishing email managed to fool several employees into revealing their login credentials.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to behave in a silly way or waste time.

v. to behave in a playful, frivolous, or idiotic manner; often used with 'around'.

“Stop fooling around and finish your homework before dinner.”

“The teenagers were caught fooling around near the edge of the pier, oblivious to the safety warnings posted nearby.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

adj. silly, stupid, or not showing good sense.

adj. characteristic of a fool; lacking good sense or judgment.

“That was a fool idea to go hiking in the middle of a storm.”

“He wasted his inheritance on some fool scheme to find buried treasure in the desert.”