April Fools' Day
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of April Fools' Day
First recorded in 1745–50; the variant All Fools' Day is first recorded in 1700–05
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.
Every year, journalist Ben Black publishes a playful fake story on his community news site Cwmbran Life for April Fools' Day.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025
He inadvertently led this tiny band of eccentrics, plucked from the upper rungs of British society, into a historic plunge off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England, on April Fools’ Day in 1979.
From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2023
“Women Talking” writer-director Polley made everyone’s April Fools’ Day by sharing a fake letter from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rescinding her Oscar — written by her 11-year-old child.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2023
One guess is that April Fools’ Day comes from the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria, according to the Library of Congress’ Folklife Today blog.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 31, 2023
“This is why you don’t lend your phone out on April Fools’ Day, Simon.”
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
