1 C1 idiomatic informal
To waste time, money, or opportunities through careless or foolish behavior.
"He fooled away his entire inheritance within a year."
separable
fool away
C1 informal separable transitive
To waste time, money, or an opportunity through foolish or irresponsible behavior.
In plain English
Throw away something valuable (time or money) by being silly or careless.
What does "fool away" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To send something away through the behavior of a fool.
Actually means
Throw away something valuable (time or money) by being silly or careless.
Usage tip
Relatively old-fashioned and uncommon in contemporary English. More likely to be found in literature or older texts. The object is usually 'time', 'money', or 'opportunity'.
Words that pair with "fool away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
time money opportunity chance youth
How to conjugate "fool away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
fool away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
fools away
he/she/it
Past simple
fooled away
yesterday
Past participle
fooled away
have + pp
-ing form
fooling away
continuous
Hear "fool away" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "fool away" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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