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's seen every episode, don't be fooled.
—
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
He’s seen every episode, don’t be fooled.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2026
Don't be fooled, Fraser's first Oberon kegs of the season still went to good use, with Oberon Day bringing in serious business.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
In 2007, Google fooled the world with 'Google Paper,' a service that would print your emails and mail them to you.
—New Atlas, 23 Mar. 2026
The viral claim has been confirmed as satire by both local law enforcement and independent fact-checkers — but before the truth caught up, the story had already reached countless feeds and fooled plenty of readers along the way.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
Tatum then isolated against the Spurs big man, fooled him with an up-fake, finished at the rim and smiled after being shoved to the ground.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
This time, most Americans haven’t been fooled, and that gives me hope.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2026
Trump proves experts got fooled again.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
He’s seen every episode, don’t be fooled.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2026
Don't be fooled, Fraser's first Oberon kegs of the season still went to good use, with Oberon Day bringing in serious business.
—Jack Springgate, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
In 2007, Google fooled the world with 'Google Paper,' a service that would print your emails and mail them to you.
—New Atlas, 23 Mar. 2026
The viral claim has been confirmed as satire by both local law enforcement and independent fact-checkers — but before the truth caught up, the story had already reached countless feeds and fooled plenty of readers along the way.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026
Tatum then isolated against the Spurs big man, fooled him with an up-fake, finished at the rim and smiled after being shoved to the ground.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
This time, most Americans haven’t been fooled, and that gives me hope.
—Tom Zirpoli, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2026
Trump proves experts got fooled again.
—FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooled
Verb
-
After being tricked by Scarpia, Cavaradossi is hanged for treason.—
Courtney Lewis,
Florida Times-Union,
28 Mar. 2026
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Ever since the first caveman tricked his neighbor into trading a pile of rocks for some tasty mastodon steaks, con men have been persuading others to act against their own interests.—
Neil J. Rubenking,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rock previously joked about being lonely in his 50s during an episode of Kevin Hart's Peacock series Hart to Heart, which aired in July 2022.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
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The site joked that Tom Hiddleston would play the franchise’s first Bond boy and Gillian Anderson would be the new M in the Amazon film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight — the last two of whom are genuinely attached to the 26th Bond movie.—
Leigh Blickley,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Klipsch Austin Portable Bluetooth Speaker Deal Don't be deceived by the small Klipsch Austin portable speaker.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Svetlana Petriychuk wrote the play Finist, the Brave Falcon, based on real events, about Russian women deceived into marrying ISIS fighters and traveling to Syria.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fooled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooled. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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