to act a fool
3
8.0
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
hacer el tonto
- During the party, he really decided to act a fool to entertain everyone.
- make me act a fool
No one should feel like they have a free pass to act a fool in your relationship and you're going to accept it.
- No one should feel like they have a free pass to act a fool in your relationship and you're going to accept it.
- But it turned out she, she found out he was running these streets, cheating, acting a fool.
- And finally she told me, she said, little Stevie, you sit down back there acting a fool, you ain't going to ever make no money acting a fool.
- But I really couldn't care less if like your dog is well behaved and it's like under ADA law, if my real service dog is acting a fool, you can ask it to leave.
- I don't want to cord your kid acting a fool, Yo, boss, acting the fool.
Examples
-
At the concert, she started to act a fool, dancing wildly and making everyone laugh.
-
l should've known you was out here actin' a fool.
-
You let him act a fool in front of you like that?
-
This man acting a fool tonight, man.
-
If it gives you any comfort, you know, I was going in there to act a fool, baby.
-
It's your turn to act a fool so push the throttle.
-
- James told me all them stories about y'all up in here acting a fool.
-
Beau Willie Brown, you want the kids to see you acting a fool?
-
BRAD: They don't pay you enough to act a fool, let's go.
-
Quit acting a fool!
Synonyms
233
1.8
To behave in a silly, playful way and waste time
88
2.1
Act in a foolish or playful way without taking things seriously
46
3.6
Act in a silly, playful way instead of working
42
4.1
Act in a way that makes you look silly or embarrassed
9
4.8
To act silly and playful to make people laugh
7
4.6
Act in a silly way to make others laugh or avoid being serious
7
8.5
To act in a way that makes you look foolish in front of others
2
8.1
To act in a silly, embarrassing way to make people laugh
1
9.9
To make yourself look foolish by doing or saying silly things
1
7.5
To behave so others notice you in an embarrassing way
1
9.9
Act in a foolish, annoying way instead of being serious
1
9.9
To behave in a rude, stupid way
1
9.9
To behave in a silly or clumsy way
1
9.9
To act rudely and annoy other people
Behave in a silly, clumsy way to make people laugh at you
Behave in a silly, careless way to avoid serious talk
Behave in a rude, annoying, and foolish way toward other people
Behave in a rude and stupid way
To behave in a rude and annoying way
To behave rudely or foolishly in a way that annoys others
To behave in a rude or foolish way that annoys other people
Behave in a silly, not very smart way
Behave in a silly, clumsy way
To behave foolishly or clumsily
Act in a silly, embarrassing way
Act in a foolish, clumsy way
To behave foolishly and show little common sense
Act in a silly or stupid way
Behave in a silly or foolish way
To behave in a silly or annoying way
To behave in a stupid and rude way
To behave in a silly or wild way that makes people laugh
To behave rudely and foolishly in a way that annoys or embarrasses people
To behave in a silly, awkward way that looks foolish
To behave in a foolish, clumsy way that makes people laugh
To behave in a foolish and clumsy way
Antonyms
How Foolish
- Informal
3
8.0
88
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'act' (to behave) + 'a' (article) + 'fool' (a foolish person) => 'behave like a fool'. This follows a common syntactic pattern (act + NP) and has close parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Act a fool comes from the image of old clowns or jesters who act in silly ways to make people laugh. Because act means to perform and fool is the silly performer, the phrase now means 'to behave in a foolish way', often to get attention.