fun

American  

[fuhn] / fʌn /

noun

1. something that provides mirth or amusement.

   A picnic would be fun.

   Synonyms:

   gaiety, play, pleasure, merriment

2. enjoyment or playfulness.

   She's full of fun.

   Synonyms:

   gaiety, play, pleasure, merriment

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verb (used with or without object)

funned, funning

1. Informal. joke; kid.

adjective

funner, funnest

1. Informal. of or relating to fun, especially to social fun.

   a fun thing to do; really a fun person; the funnest game.

2. Informal. whimsical; flamboyant.

   The fashions this year are definitely on the fun side.

idioms

1. for / in fun, as a joke; not seriously; playfully.

   His insults were only in fun.

2. make fun of, to make the object of ridicule; deride.

   The youngsters made fun of their teacher.

3. like fun, certainly not; of doubtful truth.

   He told us that he finished the exam in an hour. Like fun he did!

fun British  

/ fʌn /

noun

1. a source of enjoyment, amusement, diversion, etc

2. pleasure, gaiety, or merriment

3. jest or sport (esp in the phrases in or for fun )

4. facetious amusement; frivolous activity

5. informal

   1. (adverb) quickly; vigorously

   2. (interjection) not at all! certainly not!

6. to ridicule or deride

7. (modifier) full of amusement, diversion, gaiety, etc

   a fun sport

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verb

1. informal (intr) to act in a joking or sporting manner

fun More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing fun

• for fun
• funny
• like fun
• make fun of
• more fun than a barrel of monkeys

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Etymology

Origin of fun

First recorded in 1675–85; dialectal variant of obsolete fon “to befool”; see fond ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

When you are having fun, you are having a good time. Watching little kids jump around inside an inflatable bouncy house, you can instantly tell how much fun they're having. There is no mistaking fun when you're having it, and it's generally used to mean exactly what it sounds like, some activity or experience that's purely enjoyable. When fun takes the form of an adjective, it's informal, not strictly grammatically correct. So while you can say, "Being with her is so much fun," you can't correctly say, "She is such a fun girl." Fun turns a little bit mean when you're making fun of, or teasing, your friend. In this case, it might be fun for you, but it's probably not very much fun for him.

Example Sentences

“And I was like the doctor, you know, as a little fun playing the doctor and making people better. So that’s what it was viewed as. That’s what most people thought.”

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Am I trading to make money or to have fun?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The 31-year-old from Arizona, who is attending Coachella for the fifth time, tells me "half the fun" of car camping is "all the decorating and having a cool place to come back to".

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Sam Tallent is going to be one people talk about, Jim Breuer is so great, Steph Tolev crushed it with something fun and interesting and wow, this is really tough.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Nim, it’s been so much fun writing to you—no matter what happens, I’m glad I tried to come and meet you.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Related Words

• celebration
• distraction
• enjoyment
• joke
• joy
• laughter
• pastime
• pleasure
• sport