variants:
or chiefly British fool about
fooled around; fooling around; fools around
Definition of fool around
1
: to behave in a way that is not very serious
When it comes to safety, we don't fool around.
often, specifically
: to spend time idly, aimlessly, or frivolously
Later in the day, the three of us were fooling around, waiting for Mr. Michaels to get class started. — Marilyn Reynolds
2
: to engage in casual sexual activity
She found out that her partner had been fooling around on her. [=having sex with someone else]
— see also fool around with
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“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fool%20around. Accessed 11 Aug. 2022.
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Time Traveler for fool around
The first known use of fool around was in 1837
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