fool around

verb

To engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around.

“Jake has been fooling around with a married woman.”

Similar
horse aroundarse aroundfoolplay around
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Meanings

verbfool around (third-person singular simple present fools around, present participle fooling around, simple past and past participle fooled around)

present singular third person fools around · participle present fooling around · participle past fooled around · past fooled around

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around.
  2. intransitiveTo waste time.
  3. idiomaticinformalintransitiveTo engage in casual or flirtatious sexual acts.

    Jake has been fooling around with a married woman.

    1 more example

    Wanna get drunk and fool around?

    1975, Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Jaws, spoken by Ellen Brody (Lorraine Gary)
  4. informalintransitiveTo engage in adultery; to play around.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbindulge in horseplay

Similar
horse aroundarse aroundfool
Broader
playjokejest

verbcommit adultery

Similar
play around
Broader
cheat oncheatcuckold
Also see
arse aroundfart aboutfart aroundflirtfoolfrigfrig aroundfuck aboutfuck aroundhorse aroundjerk aroundjoke aroundloiterplay aroundtool aroundtwiddle one's thumbs

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 鬼混
  • 鬼混 (guǐhùn)to engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Danish tosse rundt
  • tosse rundtto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Finnish hölmöillä
  • hölmöilläto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
French faire l'imbécile, flâner
  • faire l'imbécileto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • flânerto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • traînaillerto waste time
  • se la couler douceto waste time
  • flânerto waste time
German herumalbern
  • herumalbernto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Japanese ふざける
  • ふざける (fuzakeru)to engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Latin dēsipiō
  • dēsipiōto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Māori whakarunaruna, porohīanga
  • whakarunarunato engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • porohīangato engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • mākahito behave in a thoughtless or irresponsible way
Polish wygłupiać się, pajacować
  • wygłupiać sięto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • pajacowaćto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • zachowywać się nieodpowiedzialnieto behave in a thoughtless or irresponsible way
  • tracić czasto waste time
Portuguese brincar, encher o saco
  • brincarto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • encher o sacoto engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Russian валя́ть дурака́, дура́читься
  • валя́ть дурака́ (valjátʹ duraká)to engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
  • дура́читься (duráčitʹsja)to engage in frivolous behaviour; to monkey around (idiomatic)
Spanish pelar la pava
  • pelar la pavato waste time
Cite this entry
APA

fool around. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fool%20around

MLA

“fool around.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fool%20around. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fool around,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fool%20around.

Source: fool around on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.