(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
If you call someone a ~, you are indicating that you think they are not at all sensible and show a lack of good judgment.
‘You ~!’ she shouted...
He’d been a ~ to get involved with her!
= idiot
N-COUNT disapproval
2.
Fool is used to describe an action or person that is not at all sensible and shows a lack of good judgment. (mainly AM INFORMAL)
What a damn ~ thing to do!...
ADJ: ADJ n disapproval
3.
If someone ~s you, they deceive or trick you.
Art dealers ~ a lot of people...
Don’t be ~ed by his appearance...
They tried to ~ you into coming after us.
= trick, con
VERB: V n, V n, V n into -ing
4.
If you say that a person is ~ing with something or someone, you mean that the way they are behaving is likely to cause problems.
What are you doing ~ing with such a staggering sum of money?...
VERB: V with n
5.
If you make a ~ of someone, you make them seem silly by telling people about something stupid that they have done, or by tricking them.
Your brother is making a ~ of you...
He’d been made a ~ of.
PHRASE: V and N inflect
6.
If you make a ~ of yourself, you behave in a way that makes other people think that you are silly or lacking in good judgment.
He was drinking and making a ~ of himself.
PHRASE: V and N inflect
7.
If you say to someone ‘More ~ you’ when they tell you what they have done or what they plan to do, you are indicating that you think that it is silly and shows a lack of judgment. (BRIT)
Most managers couldn’t care less about information technology. More ~ them.
PHRASE disapproval
8.
If you play the ~ or act the ~, you behave in a playful, childish, and ~ish way, usually in order to make other people laugh.
They used to play the ~ together, calling each other silly names and giggling.
PHRASE: V inflects