Meanings
plural April fools
- A person subjected to a practical joke on April Fools' Day.
1 more example
APRIL FOOL, Any one imposed on, or sent on a bootless errand on the first of April, on which day it is the custom among the lower people, children, and servants, by dropping empty papers carefully doubled up, sending persons on absurd messages, and such like contrivances, to impose on every one they can, and then to salute them with the title of April-fool.
1785, Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue,, page 4 - A practical joke played on April Fools' Day.
The best April fool ever perpetrated was 1 April 1698 and made a laughing stock of the gentry of London, great numbers of whom turned up in their carriages and finery at the Tower of London to 'see the lions being washed' as instructed on their gilt-edged invitation cards.
2012, Benedict le Vay, Ben Le Vay's Eccentric Britain, page 14
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Arabic كِذْبَةُ أَبْرِيل
- كِذْبَةُ أَبْرِيل (kiḏbatu ʔabrīl)practical joke played on April Fools' Day
Danish aprilsnar
- aprilsnarpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Dutch aprilgrap, aprilvis
- aprilgrappractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- aprilvispractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- 1 aprilgrappractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- aprilvisperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
Esperanto aprila ŝerco
- aprila ŝercopractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Finnish aprillipila, aprillinarri
- aprillipilapractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- aprillinarriperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
French poisson d'avril
- poisson d'avrilpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
German Aprilscherz
- Aprilscherzpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Greek πρωταπριλιά
- πρωταπριλιά (protapriliá)practical joke played on April Fools' Day
Hebrew אחד באפריל
- אחד באפריל (ekhad bi-april)practical joke played on April Fools' Day
Irish amadán Aibreáin
- amadán Aibreáinperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
Italian pesce d'aprile
- pesce d'aprilepractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Japanese エイプリルフール
- エイプリルフール (eipurirufūru)practical joke played on April Fools' Day
Norwegian Bokmål aprilsnarr, aprilspøk
- aprilsnarrpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- aprilspøkpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- aprilsnarrperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
- aprilspøkperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
Polish prank primaaprilisowy
- prank primaaprilisowypractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Portuguese peixe de abril, primeiro de abril
- peixe de abrilpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
- primeiro de abrilpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Russian первоапре́льская шу́тка
- первоапре́льская шу́тка (pervoaprélʹskaja šútka)practical joke played on April Fools' Day
Spanish inocentada
- inocentadapractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Swedish aprilskämt
- aprilskämtpractical joke played on April Fools' Day
Turkish bir nisan şakası
- bir nisan şakasıperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
Ukrainian прі́ма апрі́ліс
- прі́ма апрі́ліс (príma aprílis)practical joke played on April Fools' Day
Welsh Ffwl Ebrill
- Ffwl Ebrillperson subjected to a practical joke April Fools' Day
Cite this entry
April fool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/April%20fool
“April fool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/April%20fool. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “April fool,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/April%20fool.
Source: April fool on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.