tomfoolery

noun

tom·fool·ery ˌtäm-ˈfü-lə-rē

-ˈfül-

Synonyms of tomfoolery next

: 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.

If humans can use emotional tomfoolery to prevail over AI, there is a certain kind of endearing fulfillment in doing so. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 Aside from those two couple moments, Turner's post also included plenty of tomfoolery with friends and documented some of her travels — from skiing in January to an October trip to an ancient temple in Egypt. —

Julia Moore, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025 This sweet 1978-82 CBS sitcom had plenty of workplace comedic tomfoolery, but none was more shocking and hilarious than the ending of this absurd Thanksgiving story. —

Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024 But hey, at least her particular brand of right-wing tomfoolery isn’t headed down under. —

Abby Monteil, Them, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tomfoolery