FOOL AROUND Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

fool around

verb

Definition of fool around

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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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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of fool around Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026 Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects. — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026 Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general. — Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fool around

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around

Verb

Also, don’t get too out of control horsing around with friends in the water.

— John Natale, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
According to McGrady, the only royal who didn’t enjoy the time away in the Highlands was the late Princess Diana, who didn’t fit in with the family’s outdoorsy vibes and didn’t enjoy riding horses around the property due to a fall as a child.

— Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of horse around

Verb

Her Eras show doc lost its awards last weekend, and the Chiefs play the Broncos tonight, but that didn’t stop people from speculating.

— Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
The only—passing—exception is the man who plays Calamawy’s young colleague at one point; and his lines seem to be dubbed with the help of AI.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of play

Verb

Both of France’s sons seem to appreciate imaginative play over messing around with action figures, something that makes perfect sense given France’s own love for the arts.

— Marah Eakin, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Take note at the point in a song when the real dancers stop messing around.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of mess around

Verb

Kienholz showed off his mobility both as a runner and passer, effectively threw to all levels of the field and made clutch play after clutch play in the second half.

— Antonio Morales, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
The bush is deciduous but shows off gold, orange, and red fall color.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of show off

Verb

President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.

— USA Today, USA Today, 17 June 2026
On Monday, May 18, a 7%-illuminated crescent will hang about two degrees from Venus, with Jupiter about 20 degrees above.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 15 May 2026

Definition of hang about

Verb

Six weeks later, when that integration acts up again, the institutional memory that used to shorten the investigation may not be there.

— Sanjay Gidwani, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Powell said the Cru team rarely gets such blowback because of its gentler approach, though the occasional troll will act up.

— Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 26 July 2026

Definition of act up

Verb

If there had been a Season 2, Uziel was already kicking around some ideas.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Every single night, through that winter, spring and summer, Caldwell and Rothstein kicked around potential game situations and ideas for how to approach them.

— Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of kick around

Browse Nearby Words

fool's paradises

fool around

fooled

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Style

“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of fool around

verb

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