play the fool

Idioms

Act in a silly or stupid way, as in Helen deliberately played the fool so they wouldn't realize she understood their strategy. [First half of 1500s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I am pleading with you. Let us not take this hurricane lightly. This is not the time to play the fool."

From Fox News • Jul. 2, 2021

But unlike those people, she also seems happy to play the fool herself when it suits her aims.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2020

The sixth form were putting it on because they were studying it for A Level - and they brought me in to play the fool.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2017

“Do you think it’s wise to play the fool? Take a look around you, it’s easy not to see / Building walls between us doesn’t fix a thing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2017

But after a while he became convinced that if he was ever going to do anything in Milagro besides vegetate and play the fool, he needed mobility.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023