For fun means for enjoyment, simply because you like doing something. It describes hobbies and anything people do not for money, grades or usefulness, but because they enjoy it: I paint for fun. The question What do you do for fun? means “What do you like doing in your free time?”.
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do + something + (just) for fun; not for + money/work, but for fun; What do you do for fun?
- I don't need French for my job; I'm learning it just for fun.
- What do you usually do for fun when you're not working?
- A few colleagues and I started a football team for fun last spring.
What changed
First versionI started learning Italian just for funny, not for work.
RevisionI started learning Italian just for fun, not for work.
Fun and funny look alike, so they are easy to mix up. But funny means “making you laugh”, and people don't learn Italian to laugh; they learn it because they enjoy it. The phrase is for fun, so funny was changed to fun.
For fun answers the question “why?”, while have fun means “to enjoy yourself, have a good time”: We had fun at the party. Compare: I play the guitar for fun means I play for my own enjoyment; We had fun playing the guitar means we enjoyed it.
Your turn
Tom isn't training for a race; he just runs ___ because it helps him relax after work.
Show the answer
for fun — Tom doesn't run to compete; he runs for himself because it relaxes him: for fun. For funny is not English: funny means “making you laugh” and does not come after for.
Describe a hobby you do for yourself, not for work or money. Name the activity and say how often you do it, using for fun.
I play the piano for fun about three times a week, usually in the evenings.
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