1. A person who lacks good judgment
   "Don't be such a fool; think before you act";
   - sap [N. Amer, informal], muggins [Brit, informal], tomfool, meathead [informal], jughead [N. Amer, informal], mampara [S.Africa, informal], dill [Austral, NZ, informal], nit [Brit, informal], boofhead [Austral, informal], moegoe [S.Africa, informal], galah [Austral, informal], charlie [Brit, informal], diddy [Brit, informal], drongo [Austral, NZ, informal], juggins [Brit, informal]
    
2. A person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
   "He felt like a fool after falling for the obvious scam";
   - chump [informal], gull [informal], mark [US, informal], patsy [N. Amer, informal], sucker [informal], soft touch, mug [Brit, informal]
    
3. A professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages
   "The fool's witty remarks often contained hidden criticisms of the court";
   - jester, motley fool
    
4. [Brit] A cold dessert made of puréed fruit mixed with whipped cream (and usually sugar)
   "For dessert, we enjoyed a delicious strawberry fool"

1. Make a fool or dupe of
   "The con artist fooled his victims with an elaborate investment scheme";
   - gull, befool [archaic]
    
2. Fool or hoax
   "You can't fool me!";
   - gull, dupe, slang [archaic, informal], befool [archaic], cod [Brit, informal], put on, take in, put one over [informal], put one across [informal]
    
3. Behave in a foolish, fun way; indulge in horseplay
   "The bored children were fooling about"; "Enough fooling around—let's get back to work!";
   - horse around [informal], arse around [Brit, Cdn, informal], fool around, muck about [Brit, informal], kid around [informal], arse about [Brit, Cdn, informal], muck around [Brit, informal], screw around [informal]
    
4. Spend frivolously and unwisely
   "He fooled away his inheritance on trivial pursuits";
   - fritter, frivol away, dissipate, shoot, fritter away, fool away

Derived forms: fooled, fools, fooling

Type of: betray, buffoon, clown, consume, cozen [literary], deceive, delude, droll [archaic], dupe, goof [informal], goofball [N. Amer, informal], jest, joke, lead astray, lead on, merry andrew [archaic], play, simple [archaic], simpleton, squander, victim, ware [archaic], waste

Encyclopedia: Fool, Henry