mess around with (something)

phrase

informal

1

: to use or do (something) in a way that is not very serious

I'm not really a painter; I just like to mess around with paints.

She spent the evening messing around with the computer.

2

: to handle or play with (something) in a careless or foolish way

Stop messing around with the stereo.

Examples of mess around with (something) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Italian heritage brand Frette does not mess around with luxury. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026

The new rule of thumb when prognosticating about the NBA trade deadline is to never say never — Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker now — but the Nuggets are just too good to mess around with their playoff rotation over a tax bill. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026

Could be fun to mess around with alternative world shapes if this is in play. — Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2026

Given another chance, the Cubs did not wait around until spring training or mess around with a team-friendly offer, hoping that Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, would eventually run out of options and settle for a below-market deal. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026