tomfoolery

noun

tom·fool·ery ˌtäm-ˈfü-lə-rē

-ˈfül-

: playful or foolish behavior

Did you know?

The word tomfoolery owes a debt to one Thome Fole, but just who that Mr. Fole was is unclear. A court jester identified as Thome Fole was employed at Durham Abbey in the 14th century, but the record is unclear about whether Thome Fole was the given name of this particular performer, or if the name was applied as a generic moniker to jesters. Regardless, Thome Fole eventually evolved into tomfool, which was in use as a noun referring to any notable fool by the early 17th century, and as an adjective describing such fools by the mid-18th century. Tomfoolery as a term for playful or foolish behavior didn’t come into use until the early 19th century, but it’s proven to be of far more use to English speakers than tomfool.

Examples of tomfoolery in a Sentence

There was a lot of tomfoolery going on behind the scenes. the open bar may have had something to do with the tomfoolery at the wedding reception

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But hey, at least her particular brand of right-wing tomfoolery isn’t headed down under. —

Abby Monteil, Them, 28 Oct. 2024 As Jackman turned 56 on Saturday, Oct. 12, his longtime friend and Deadpool & Wolverine costar wished him a happy birthday with a sweet tribute — and foreshadowed years of tomfoolery to come. —

Bailey Richards, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024 There is no hint that a bit of AI tomfoolery happened in this picture. —

Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 The 49ers might have messed around all training camp and preseason, but there was no tomfoolery on display Monday night, as the Niners punched the Jets in the mouth early and refused to relent for a single moment. —

Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tomfoolery