fools

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of fool.

   Wise leaders surround themselves with advisers, not fools.

   Generations of fools have lost fortunes chasing the same scam.

   Note

   One plural gathers every kind of fool at once: the person of poor judgment (a derogatory use), the court jester of historical writing, the stage's comic stock character, and the dupe who has been tricked. Green Day's “Basket Case” (1994) turns the word on the singer himself, placing him among a theatrical kind of fool, where the adjective shifts the insult into self-mockery. Context, not spelling, separates it from the verb meaning “deceives”.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of fool.

   The magician fools the audience with a quick sleight of hand.

   That flimsy excuse fools nobody on the committee.

   Note

   Whether the verb takes an object decides its meaning. With an object it means tricks or deceives, as when a bluff fools the other players. Without one it means behaves foolishly, so the subject is the one acting the fool. An archaic use, making someone act the fool, belongs to older texts. Position separates it from the plural noun: the verb follows its subject, while the noun takes an article or adjective.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2