fun

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Enjoyment, amusement, or light-hearted pleasure gained from an activity.

   Grammar: Normally no plural in standard English: have fun, not have a fun.

   Patterns

   • have fun
   • have fun doing something
   • be good fun
   • make fun of someone

   We had fun decorating the community hall.

   The children had fun building a cardboard spaceship.

   It is not fun to wait outside in the rain.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nouninformal

   Enjoyable or amusing, in informal use.

   Grammar: Informal before nouns: a fun game; many learners prefer enjoyable in formal writing.

   Patterns

   • a fun activity
   • a fun place
   • fun to use
   • sound fun

   The museum has a fun exhibit about weather.

   This puzzle is fun because it is hard but fair.

   She is a fun person to travel with.

Common combinations

have fun

Have fun at the concert tonight.

have fun doing something

We had fun learning to bake bread.

make fun of

It is unkind to make fun of someone’s accent.

fun activity

The coach planned a fun activity for warm-ups.

good fun

The trivia night was good fun for the whole team.

Synonyms and how they differ

enjoyment

Slightly more formal and names the feeling rather than the playful quality.

amusement

Focuses on being entertained or made to laugh.

pleasure

Broader; it can be quiet or serious, not necessarily playful.

Opposites

Word family

funny adjective

Causing laughter or strangeness.

funnily adverb

In a strange or amusing way.

fun-loving adjective

Enjoying lively amusement.

Commonly confused: fun or funny? fun or fan?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fun”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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