make a fool (out) of

idiom

: to cause (someone) to look stupid or foolish
She made a fool (out) of me by insulting me in front of my friends.

Examples of make a fool (out) of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What made Conan Without Borders work so well is O’Brien’s innate ability to improvise, his willingness to make a fool of himself, and the show’s effort to tackle uncomfortable topics. Ian Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2024 His class anxiety had vanished and was replaced by a kind of joy that comes with watching your eldest son with a fancy education make a fool out of himself. Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2023 This often includes using someone’s own words to make a fool out of them – as the Lincoln Project ads often do with Trump. Chris Lamb, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2020 Don’t beat women, hold guns to peoples heads, fund abortions then pretend your pro-life, stalk cheerleaders, leave your multiple minor children alone to chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid crap, and make a fool of your family.. Prem Thakker, The New Republic, 7 Dec. 2022 Make loud noises – make a fool of yourself,’’ Beatty said. Sue Kiesewetter, The Enquirer, 24 Feb. 2023 Of course, a phenomenon such as climate change or the pandemic may make a fool of the great-man theory. Lance Morrow, WSJ, 2 Dec. 2022 Sometimes the only thing stopping us from taking to the dance floor to shake off the blues, is the lack of some guy willing to make a fool of himself up there first. Jessica Kiang, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2022 That means being funny, not being afraid to make a fool of yourself, not taking yourself too seriously. Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'make a fool (out) of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near make a fool (out) of

Cite this Entry

“Make a fool (out) of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20a%20fool%20%28out%29%20of. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!