1
as in horsed 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
Relevance
2
as in played
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooled around
Verb
-
The offense played 69 snaps, the defense 53.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025 -
While Gandy played twice in the state of California during his three seasons with the Falcons, there’s an insufficient linkage between the Falcons and California for purposes of workers’ comp coverage.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The boat therefore needed metal or plastic cages installed around the engines, so that the diver wouldn’t get accidentally cut up by their blades — and finding a boat and then the right cages fit onto the boat would take time.—
Samanth Subramanian,
The Dial,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Techniques like this have been around for some time, but Micro-C uses an enzyme that can cut up DNA more finely than before.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After her performance, Karol, who was wearing a red-hot, lacy bodysuit, got her own set of wings and showed off her catwalk.—
Renan Botelho,
Footwear News,
16 Oct. 2025
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The right side of the dress featured a loose, flowing sleeve with subtle draping for an effortless look, but the opposite side of the dress showed off the influencer's toned figure.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The club had kicked around the idea of Suárez and Nola sharing an outing, but it was made official on Monday night after a gut-wrenching Game 2 loss.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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Other ideas kicked around over the years have been subsidized housing or even returning it to its history of entertainment, as a high-end theater and performing arts academy.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fooled around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooled%20around. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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