fun
fuhn
Fun (noun) means Enjoyment, amusement, or a good time. Example: “The kids had so much fun at the water park.”
noun
1
Enjoyment, amusement, or a good time.
"The kids had so much fun at the water park."
"We did it just for fun, not for any prize."
"Learning to sail was hard work, but it was great fun."
adj
1
Enjoyable or amusing.
"That was such a fun party."
"We played a fun game on the long train journey."
"She is a fun person to travel with."
verb
1
To tease or joke with someone (often "make fun of").
"Stop making fun of his accent."
"Please don't make fun of her for singing out of tune."
"My brothers always made fun of my terrible dancing."
How to use fun
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEnjoyment or something that provides it — as a noun for the feeling, or an adjective for what causes it.
Common mistake
Traditional grammar treats "fun" as a noun only ("we had fun"), but using it as an adjective ("a fun trip") is now completely standard in everyday English.
Common pairings
have fun
make fun of
a fun activity
poke fun at
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- funs
- Past tense
- funned
- Comparative
- more fun, funner
- Superlative
- most fun, funnest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The kids had so much _____ at the water park.
Etymology
From Middle English fonne ("a fool" or "to make a fool of"); the modern sense "amusement" only emerged around the 1700s.
Class of 1700
fun joined the language around 1700.
See the full Class of 1700 →
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Frequently asked questions
What does “fun” mean?
The word “fun” means enjoyment, amusement, or a good time. In plain terms, enjoyment or something that provides it — as a noun for the feeling, or an adjective for what causes it.
How do you pronounce “fun”?
“Fun” is pronounced fuhn (/fʌn/ in IPA).
How do you use “fun” in a sentence?
Here is “fun” used in a sentence: “The kids had so much fun at the water park.”
What part of speech is “fun”?
Depending on how it is used, “fun” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.
Where does the word “fun” come from?
The word “fun” dates back to around 1700 and comes from Middle English. From Middle English fonne ("a fool" or "to make a fool of"); the modern sense "amusement" only emerged around the 1700s.
Is “fun” a common word?
“Fun” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “fun” have?
“Fun” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: enjoyment, amusement, or a good time.
What is the difference between fun and funny?
Fun means enjoyment or a good time — a party is fun. Funny means something makes you laugh — a joke is funny. Something can be fun without being funny, like a rollercoaster, and funny without being fun, like an awkward moment. The two are easily mixed up because both involve amusement.
Is "fun" a noun or an adjective?
Traditionally fun is a noun, as in "we had fun." In modern English it is also widely used as an adjective — "a fun day out." This adjective use is now standard in casual speech, though some careful writers still prefer to keep it as a noun in formal contexts.
What is the opposite of fun?
The opposite of fun is boredom, dullness, or drudgery — anything tedious or joyless. Where fun brings enjoyment and lightness, its opposites describe activities that feel like a chore or a drag. Words such as "tedium" and "monotony" capture the flat, uninteresting feeling that fun replaces.
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