fool

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Performing

fool1 /fuːl/ ●●○ noun  1  stupid person 蠢人 [countable]STUPID/NOT SENSIBLE a stupid person or someone who has done something stupid 蠢人，傻子，笨蛋 SYN idiot What a fool she had been to think that he would stay. 她竟然那么傻，以为他会留下来。 Like a fool, I accepted straight away. 我像个傻子，立刻就接受了。 You silly old fool! 你这个大傻瓜！2  make a fool of yourself STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEto do something stupid that you feel embarrassed about afterwards and that makes you seem silly 使自己出丑 Sorry I made such a fool of myself last night. I must have been drunk. 对不起，昨天晚上我太失态了，我一定是喝醉了。3  make a fool of somebody to deliberately do something to make someone else seem stupid 愚弄某人，使某人显得愚蠢 I suddenly realised that I was being made a fool of. 我突然明白过来，我被人耍了。4  any fool can do something spokenEASYEVERYONE used to say that it is very easy to do something or to see that something is true 傻瓜都会做某事，任何人都会做某事〔用于表示某事很简单〕 Any fool could have seen what would happen. 傻瓜都看得出来将会发生什么事。5  be no/nobody’s fool INTELLIGENTto be difficult to trick or deceive, because you have a lot of experience and knowledge about something 不会轻易上当，为人精明，不是傻瓜 Katherine was nobody’s fool when it came to money. 凯瑟琳在钱的问题上一点也不傻。6. gooseberry/strawberry etc fool British EnglishDFF a sweet food made of soft cooked fruit mixed with cream 奶油醋栗泥/草莓泥等7  more fool you/him etc British English spokenSTUPID/NOT SENSIBLE used to say that you think someone was stupid to do something, and it is their own fault if this causes trouble 这是你自己傻/他自己傻等 ‘Jim smashed up my car.’ ‘More fool you for letting him borrow it!’ “吉姆把我的车撞坏了。”“你自己傻呀，把车借给他开！”8. not suffer fools gladly if you say that someone doesn’t suffer fools gladly, they do not have any patience with people who they think are stupid 对蠢人没有耐心9. be living in a fool’s paradise TRICK/DECEIVEto feel happy and satisfied, and believe there are no problems, when in fact this is not true 陶醉在幻想之中，做黄粱美梦10  play/act the fool STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEto behave in a silly way, especially in order to make people laugh 做傻事，瞎胡闹；装傻，逗人笑 Stop playing the fool! You’ll fall. 别胡闹了！你会摔倒的。11. (send somebody on) a fool’s errand STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEto make someone go somewhere or do something for no good reason （派某人去做）徒劳无益的事12. fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) used to say that people are stupid if they do something immediately without thinking about it first 傻瓜急不可待（，智者三思后行）13. a fool and his money are soon parted used to say that stupid people spend money quickly without thinking about it 蠢人不积财14. entertainer 表演者 [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 〔旧时供国王或其他权势人物娱乐的〕弄臣，小丑 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.fool2 ●○○ verb  1  [transitive]TRICK/DECEIVE to trick someone into believing something that is not true 欺骗，愚弄 Even art experts were fooled. 连艺术品专家也被骗了。you don’t/can’t fool me 你那老一套的借口是骗不了我的。 You can’t fool me with that old excuse. 你那老一套的借口是骗不了我的。be fooled by something Don’t be fooled by appearances. 不要被外表欺骗。fool somebody into doing something I was fooled into believing their promises. 我受了骗，相信了他们的承诺。2  fool yourself to try to make yourself believe something that you know is not really true 欺骗自己 It’s no good fooling yourself. He’s not coming back. 自己骗自己没有用，他不会回来的。3  you could have fooled me spokenBELIEVE used to show that you do not believe what someone has told you 你别骗我了，我才不信你呢 ‘Look, we’re doing our best to fix it.’ ‘Well, you could have fooled me.’ “看，我们正尽力修呢。”“嘿，你骗不了我的。”4  somebody is just fooling spokenSERIOUS/NOT JOKING used to say that someone is not serious and is only pretending that something is true 某人只是闹着玩的 SYN somebody is just kidding Don’t pay any attention to Henry. He’s just fooling. 别理会亨利，他只是闹着玩的。5 fool around (also fool about British English) phrasal verb a) STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEto waste time behaving in a silly way or doing things that are not important 闲荡，游手好闲 SYN mess around He always used to fool around in class. 他过去上课老是瞎混。b) STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEto behave in a way which is careless and not responsible 乱弄，瞎弄 SYN mess around with Some idiot’s been fooling around with the electricity supply! 不知道哪个傻子一直在乱弄电源！c) American English to spend time doing something that you enjoy, but that does not have a particular purpose 玩耍 SYN mess around The boys were out in the yard, just fooling around. 男孩们在外面院子里玩耍。d) SYto have a sexual relationship with someone else’s wife, boyfriend etc 乱搞男女关系，鬼混 SYN mess around She found out that he’d been fooling around behind her back. 她发现他一直在偷情。6 fool with something phrasal verb American English informal a) to touch or play with something, especially when you should not 瞎弄，乱弄 SYN mess with something Who’s been fooling with the radio dial? 谁在乱调收音机？b) to become involved in something which could cause damage or be dangerous 卷入有害[危险]的事 SYN mess with something→ See Verb table

Examples 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.fool3 adjective [only before noun] American English informal  1 STUPID/NOT SENSIBLEsilly or stupid 愚蠢的，傻的 SYN foolish What did you say a fool thing like that for? 你为什么要说那种蠢话？

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”

fool1 nounfool2 verbfool3 adjectiveChinese  

or Corpus a who stupid has done person someone something

fool

I

fool¹ /fuːl/ noun1.  STUPID PERSON  [countable] 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 yourself to do something stupid that you feel embarrassed about afterwards and that makes you seem silly:
    Sorry I made such a fool of myself last night. I must have been drunk.
3. make a fool of somebody to deliberately do something to make someone else seem stupid:
    I suddenly realised that I was being made a fool of.
4. any fool can do something spoken used to say that it is very easy to do something or to see that something is true:
    Any fool could have seen what would happen.
5. be no/nobody’s fool to be difficult to trick or deceive, because you have a lot of experience and knowledge about something:
    Katherine was nobody’s fool when it came to money.
6. gooseberry/strawberry etc fool British English a sweet food made of soft cooked fruit mixed with cream
7. more fool you/him etc British English spoken used to say that you think someone was stupid to do something, and it is their own fault if this causes trouble:
    ‘Jim smashed up my car.’ ‘More fool you for letting him borrow it__’
8. not suffer fools gladly if you say that someone doesn’t suffer fools gladly, they do not have any patience with people who they think are stupid
9. be living in a fool’s paradise to feel happy and satisfied, and believe there are no problems, when in fact this is not true
10. play/act the fool to behave in a silly way, especially in order to make people laugh:
    Stop playing the fool__ You’ll fall.
11. (send somebody on) a fool’s errand to make someone go somewhere or do something for no good reason
12. fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) used to say that people are stupid if they do something immediately without thinking about it first
13. a fool and his money are soon parted used to say that stupid people spend money quickly without thinking about it
14.  ENTERTAINER  [countable] 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

II

fool² verb
1. [transitive] 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 yourself to try to make yourself believe something that you know is not really true:
    It’s no good fooling yourself. He’s not coming back.
3. you could have fooled me spoken used to show that you do not believe what someone has told you:
    ‘Look, we’re doing our best to fix it.’ ‘Well, you could have fooled me.’
4. somebody is just fooling spoken used to say that someone is not serious and is only pretending that something is true
   SYN  somebody is just kidding:
    Don’t pay any attention to Henry. He’s just fooling.
fool around (also fool about British English) phrasal verb
  1. to waste time behaving in a silly way or doing things that are not important
   SYN  mess around:
    He always used to fool around in class.
  2. to behave in a way which is careless and not responsible
   SYN  mess around
    fool around with
    Some idiot’s been fooling around with the electricity supply__
  3. American English to spend time doing something that you enjoy, but that does not have a particular purpose
   SYN  mess around:
    The boys were out in the yard, just fooling around.
  4. to have a sexual relationship with someone else’s wife, boyfriend etc
   SYN  mess around:
    She found out that he’d been fooling around behind her back.
     
fool with something phrasal verb American English informal
  1. to touch or play with something, especially when you should not
   SYN  mess with something:
    Who’s been fooling with the radio dial?
  2. to become involved in something which could cause damage or be dangerous
   SYN  mess with something
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ deceive especially written to make someone who trusts you believe something that is not true: This was a deliberate attempt to deceive the public.
   ▪ trick to make someone believe something that is not true, in order to get something from them or make them do something: A man posing as an insurance agent had tricked her out of thousands of dollars.
   ▪ fool to make someone believe something that is not true by using a clever but simple trick: His hairpiece doesn’t fool anyone.
   ▪ mislead to make people believe something that is not true, by deliberately not giving them all the facts, or by saying something that is only partly true: The company was accused of misleading customers about the nutritional value of the product.
   ▪ dupe informal to trick or deceive someone, especially so that they become involved in someone else’s dishonest activity without realizing it: The spies duped government and military officials alike.
   ▪ con informal to trick someone, especially by telling them something that is not true: I’m pretty good at judging people; I didn’t think he was trying to con me.

III

fool³ adjective [only before noun] American English informal
silly or stupid
   SYN  foolish:
    What did you say a fool thing like that for?