mess about
Definition of mess 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 + with His wife discovered that he was messing about with his secretary.
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Word by Word Definitions
: a quantity of food:
: food set on a table at one time
: a prepared dish of soft food
: to provide with meals at a mess
: to make dirty or untidy : disarrange
: to mix up : bungle
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