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to fool; deceive; dupe.
obsolete. to treat as a fool; call (someone) a fool.
historical examples

in his keen subtlety and cunning he can outmatch the keenest of us; outwit and befool without doing any extra thinking.
quiet talks about jesus s. d. gordon

to what good end do men so flatter and befool one of their harmless fellows?
imaginary interviews w. d. howells

but easy as it is to befool women-kind, it is difficult to deceive them, if we want to get rid of them.
the strange story of rab rby mr jkai

“oh, i was going out to see if i could befool anybody,” said peik.
east o’ the sun and west o’ the moon gudrun thorne-thomsen

we have forgotten, else it would be impossible they should try to befool us.
essays in rebellion henry w. nevinson

she did not hesitate even to tell him of her success in an attempt to befool and seduce eutyches the denunciator.
herodias gustave flaubert

you dazzle, you befool, you drive me crazy, and you leave me empty—why should i throw my life away for that!
“persons unknown” virginia tracy

it could be done only by one whom all the world had conspired to befog and befool about his importance in the scheme of things.
the convert elizabeth robins

yet lest vanity should befool me, i dared not act upon suspicions.
bardelys the magnificent rafael sabatini

but i did not think you would hide a man behind the child’s cradle to befool me, old asha!
the sun king gaston derreaux

verb
(transitive) to make a fool of
v.

late 14c., from be- + fool (n.). related: befooled; befooling.