mess about
phrasal verb
messed about; messing about; messes about
British, informal
1
: to spend time doing things that are not useful or serious : to waste time
We just messed about all afternoon.
She spent the evening messing about on the computer.
It's time we stopped messing about and got busy.
2
: to have sex with someone who is not one's husband, wife, or regular partner
His wife discovered that he was messing about (on her).
—often + withHer husband discovered that she was messing about with her assistant.
Examples of mess about in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s no messing about with complicated filters or fussy placement.
—
Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 15 Jan. 2026
The other kids would run off, messing about, once their game was over.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Locals chattered over $3 glasses of kir, while the younger set messed about in kayaks or swung from a rope into the cool green river.
—Rachel Howard, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2025
Now, there was a lot of mess about the Ghorman massacre.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Even with the start of the race bumped up a half-hour, New Hampshire was a mess about from the moment the green flag was dropped.
—Dan Gelston, Orlando Sentinel, 24 June 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 15 Jan. 2026
The other kids would run off, messing about, once their game was over.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Locals chattered over $3 glasses of kir, while the younger set messed about in kayaks or swung from a rope into the cool green river.
—Rachel Howard, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2025
Now, there was a lot of mess about the Ghorman massacre.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Even with the start of the race bumped up a half-hour, New Hampshire was a mess about from the moment the green flag was dropped.
—Dan Gelston, Orlando Sentinel, 24 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Mess about.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20about. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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