1
as in to horse around
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
quit fooling around on the jungle gym, or you'll get hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
we fooled around outdoors for a while, then went in to get some work done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool around
Bigger, bolder personalities may shine as jokers, always fooling around, or as storytellers, bringing imagination to life.
—
Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
While the siblings have the habit of getting into troubles and to only use their creative skills to fool around, Michael sees in them a real talent.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Players were in a dorm room fooling around with a gun.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
While the siblings have the habit of getting into troubles and to only use their creative skills to fool around, Michael sees in them a real talent.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Players were in a dorm room fooling around with a gun.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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Running or horsing around with sparklers can also cause injuries and burns when users trip and fall.—
Justin Laube,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 July 2025
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Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
Verb
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For the 2006 film, Anika Noni Rose played Lorrell, Beyoncé played Deena, and Hudson played Effie.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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The Indianapolis Colts are playing against the Baltimore Ravens in the 7 p.m. EDT slot followed by the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals at 7:30 p.m. EDT and the Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks at 10 p.m. EDT.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the meantime, the shark's meat has been cut up, filleted and put in coolers to be shared with friends and family, his wife Cynthia told ABC News.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
7 Aug. 2025
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Fiscally, the bill aimed to provide 39 million households tax cuts up to $3,600 by expanding the Child Tax Credit.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
Verb
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On Saturday, Lambert-Smith had two explosive catches, one for 37 yards and one for 29 yards, showing off his big-play potential.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
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The feature includes a memorable whirling montage of Stamp, who was naturally left-handed, showing off his swordsmanship to woo Christie on a hillside.—
Rhett Bartlett,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The rest of the day is his, spent mostly on yoga, messing around on his computer, taking walks and reading.—
Sophie Levenson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
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So for example Joule, our digital assistant, cannot mess around with compliance checks on travel and on sourcing, or on directing the flow of materials.—
Tharin Pillay,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Sizes Tablecloths should hang about 8-16 inches on each side for formal dining and about 3-6 inches on each side for casual dining.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
10 June 2025
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Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Millennials are all about heading to the doctor’s office when their guts start acting up—and both experts agreed that’s a positive thing.—
Alisa Hrustic,
Health,
29 July 2025
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Just in time for the big opening, Charlotte’s vertigo starts acting up.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
Verb
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The best case scenario would probably be if Congress reasserts its authority over trade through some of the bills that are kicking around on Capitol Hill.—
Lauren Hirsch,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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The idea for the interborough rail has been kicking around in one form or another for the better part of 30 years.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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