mess about

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 + with

Her husband discovered that she was messing about with her assistant.

Examples of mess about in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Neeskens didn’t mess about with the penalty, straight down the middle. — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026

Shiny black cars and mountain bikes are on standby to purr you down a three-mile country road to the Beach Club, where the mood is even more drowsy and low-key (though kids and alpha males will enjoy messing about with the paddleboards, windsurfers, and other non-motorised water-sports). — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Despite living in the most landlocked part of the British midlands in the 1980s, we were obsessed with the adventures of these 1929 pre-war kids messing about on boats in the Lake District. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026

Unfortunately, the luxurious era of those signals not being messed about with intentionally is over. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 13 May 2026

Rhymes for mess about

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout