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
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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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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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Bevel was horsing around with the Reverend James Orange and Andy Young in the courtyard under King's balcony, according to Orange.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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But Andrew continued to live at the home and was often seen riding his horse around Windsor Great Park and photographed waving to crowds.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Lemann, to her credit, does not play this for laughs.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
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The two entered having played together in only 17 games this season, for a total of 249 minutes.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the photo, Hat Rack is seen nestled within the weblike Sculpture for Traveling (1918), a net of rubber shower caps cut up and glued together that Duchamp took on a trip to Buenos Aires.—
Howard Halle,
ARTnews.com,
10 Apr. 2026
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The premiere episode will be cut up into 21 short segments, each about three minutes long, going live on Sunday morning on the video platform and remaining available for six weeks.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The curatorial choices are less about building an experience around some grand concept or documenting an important moment in art history, and more about showing off what is in the storeroom, or in this case, the closets.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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The group, which focuses specifically on movie theater containers, not theme park buckets, now has more than 15,000 members who share tips on how to score new drops, trade or resell buckets, or simply show off their collections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jesse Kardon has come a long way from his days as a teenager messing around with Ableton in his bedroom.—
Christine Terrisse,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
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Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Though the sisters are supposedly first-generation Italian American, no whiff of the old country hangs about Kay; Dorothy will at least spit out a few words in Italian.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Turquoise pearl, and azure line the space, and a cylindrical hanging light sculpture made of hundreds of white and gold ceramic fish hangs about the lounge seating area.—
Kristin Braswell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There is no defeat quite like sitting down for a gaming session after a 10-hour workday, hoping to get your woes out by winning some battles, but your ancient monitor decides to act up.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
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The capsule’s toilet is already acting up.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Although the likes of the Go Go’s and the Cars are present at times, the soundtrack as a whole seems too staid to provide a backdrop for ’80s kids kicking around in the heyday of punk.—
Gina Friedlande,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
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Both tracks — which had been kicking around since the Chinese Democracy sessions and were demoed even earlier — were finally released in December 2025 to coincide with GNR’s 2026 tour announcement.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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