Fooling

/ˈfuːlɪŋ/

Meaning & Definition

noun

the action of deceiving someone; a trick.

His fooling made everyone laugh, but it also made some people angry.

a playful or humorous trick or prank.

They pulled a fooling on their teacher, pretending to forget the class assignment.

verb

the act of deceiving or tricking someone.

She was fooling her friends into believing she had won the lottery.

to engage in playful or mischievous behavior.

The children were fooling around in the backyard.

Derived from the noun 'fool', which comes from the Old French 'fol', meaning 'mad, foolish'.

fooling around:

Engaging in playful or silly behavior.

fooling oneself:

Deceiving oneself about reality or truth.

fooling someone into:

Tricking someone into doing something.

Messing around in a light-hearted way.

Stop fooling! We need to get back to work.

To playfully tease or annoy someone.

She was just fooling him to get a reaction.