as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
ribbed him with fooling comments about how much his hair had grayed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in deception
Related Words
1
as in tricking
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in kidding
to make jokes
an edgy comedian fooling with an appreciative college audience
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fooling
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Jamie Lincoln Kitman, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
But Baio says Kassotis has been fooling people for years.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
The big question is whether Rodriguez is fooling Trump.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Dallas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center has been fooling birds for years, reflecting the sky and delivering a hard stop.
—Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
Noun
No fooling, April brings some pretty interesting surprises on Netflix.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
But anyone in the auto industry who didn’t feel like something was going to happen in China five years ago was fooling themselves.
—Jamie Lincoln Kitman, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
Politicians are fooling themselves about the political power of health-conscious moms.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2026
But Baio says Kassotis has been fooling people for years.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
The big question is whether Rodriguez is fooling Trump.
—Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026
Dallas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center has been fooling birds for years, reflecting the sky and delivering a hard stop.
—Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooling
Noun
-
Fascist propaganda works by distraction and deception.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Flores must continue to utilize deception to apply pressure on the opposing quarterback.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Deed theft is when a scammer steals someone's home, often by forging documents or tricking someone into signing over a deed.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
After tricking her way into her dream job, Liza discovers that disguising herself as a millennial and keeping her two lives separate is a job in and of itself.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
DaPron and Neeley have frequently posted TikTok videos together of them joking about butting heads as sisters, playing tennis and participating in trends.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Liam keeps joking about it on Twitter.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Operation Mincemeat was such a successful ruse that even after the Allies’ arrival, German forces continued to leave the island for Greece or Sardinia, still certain that Sicily was just a diversion.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Ultimately, the report states, the video call was a ruse, falsely portraying the child as safe and in the care of a non-relative in California.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Swalwell apparently did an excellent job deceiving those around him, including some congressional and campaign staffers who’d known him for years and worked closely with the seven-term lawmaker, day in, day out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Mets have a responsibility to protect their players by not throwing them under the bus, but there are ways to do that without trying to convince people that their eyes are deceiving them.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Obviously, the city knew that people would see through its trickery.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Now, there is a little bit of trickery being employed here.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Whether those suspicions were valid or a result of subterfuge by Connelly, the Nuggets ultimately traded up six spots to draft Holmes, sacrificing three future second-round picks.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Including some subterfuge in this case.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fooling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooling. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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