1
as in tricked
to cause to believe what is untrue
I fooled him into thinking that we were driving to the store, not to his surprise birthday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in joked
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
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Recent Examples of fooled
He had been fooled a couple of times by the slider during the sequence but didn’t miss the third one Sasaki threw him.
—
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with a shot that deflected on an Alaves defender and fooled goalkeeper Antonio Sivera.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The shark is a pleasing stand-in for a big bossy grownup, easily fooled.
—Elise Broach, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Don’t be fooled by Morejón’s unsightly ERA.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
In person, the author Freida McFadden (her nom de plume) has a sweet, shy demeanor—but don’t be fooled.
—E.l. James, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
Don’t be fooled by its modest exterior—inside, guests find some of the city’s most skillfully balanced and imaginative drinks, crafted by bartenders who speak spirits fluently.
—Kat Stinson, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
Many a hunter has been fooled into giving up too soon.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
Because the malicious web pages look like legitimate services, users can be fooled into entering their passwords and two-factor codes, which the hackers steal.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 7 Apr. 2026
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with a shot that deflected on an Alaves defender and fooled goalkeeper Antonio Sivera.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
The shark is a pleasing stand-in for a big bossy grownup, easily fooled.
—Elise Broach, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Don’t be fooled by Morejón’s unsightly ERA.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
In person, the author Freida McFadden (her nom de plume) has a sweet, shy demeanor—but don’t be fooled.
—E.l. James, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
Don’t be fooled by its modest exterior—inside, guests find some of the city’s most skillfully balanced and imaginative drinks, crafted by bartenders who speak spirits fluently.
—Kat Stinson, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2026
Many a hunter has been fooled into giving up too soon.
—Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
Because the malicious web pages look like legitimate services, users can be fooled into entering their passwords and two-factor codes, which the hackers steal.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooled
Verb
-
How the PayPal refund scam tricked Brian Oliver had never heard of a crypto ATM before that day.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Tim tricked me into Tyler talking to my parents about their upcoming Alaska trip.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Macdonald joked when a media member relayed Clark’s interception total.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Then Kimmel joked about Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But some were also deceived or coerced.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Musk, who had donated at least $38 million to the lab, wanted to be CEO and gain majority control, but felt deceived after a power struggle with Altman over the role.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fooled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooled. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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