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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.—
Stephen Whyno,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.—
Stephen Whyno,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
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For tour this time around, Pillsbury is looking forward to playing larger venues, which offer space for grander production.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
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The elder Moniak, now 86, played six seasons in the Red Sox farm system from 1958-63, and like Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, was among the young outfielders who benefited from the tutelage of a special batting instructor named Ted Williams at spring training ‘61-63.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2026
Verb
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Its asymmetrical riff on the classic bucket hat takes the usual cut up a notch.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
18 June 2026
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The new non-stop flights will cut up to four hours off travel time compared to current one-stop services.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Kylian liked messing around, having a laugh and telling jokes — just like the rest of us.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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Dragstrem, who focuses more on production, has messed around with it but was left unsatisfied; McGill, who’s more lyrics-driven, wants nothing to do with the tech.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
Verb
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On Monday, OpenAI will host its first-ever Cannes Lions event a few blocks away from the Palais where the awards are given, along the boulevard where the major tech players and ad holding companies have traditionally set up shop to show off to clients.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
22 June 2026
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The actress showed off micro bangs and a chin-grazing chop for her role as a manager.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
22 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Currently, Screen Time often acts up and just cuts off access to all apps, whether it’s supposed to or not.—
Tyler Hayes,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
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Baye continued acting up until 2023.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Clear skies are in the forecast for the next few days as temperatures kick around the upper 90s.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 June 2026
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All told, it’s been a pretty spectacular and drama-free rollout for an idea that had been kicking around Hollywood for over 15 years.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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