mess around with (something)
idiom
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
Messing around with your hormone levels could mess around with a whole lot of other stuff.
—
Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Battle League launched a little bit light on content, with only a few stadiums to mess around with, simplified gameplay compared to past games in the series, and a small selection of characters.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Instead, a show that wants to purposefully mess around with its own patterns also can’t help but fall back into some unfortunate old grooves.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025
Cincinnatians don't mess around with holiday cheer.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mess around with (something)
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Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Battle League launched a little bit light on content, with only a few stadiums to mess around with, simplified gameplay compared to past games in the series, and a small selection of characters.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Instead, a show that wants to purposefully mess around with its own patterns also can’t help but fall back into some unfortunate old grooves.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025
Cincinnatians don't mess around with holiday cheer.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mess around with (something)
Cite this Entry
“Mess around with (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20around%20with%20%28something%29. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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