as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
we've been goofing around long enough; it's time to get some real work done
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goof (around)
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 -
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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Those have come from two players: Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres, who throws an odd knuckleball-changeup hybrid about 1 percent of the time, and Jonah Bride of the Minnesota Twins, an infielder fooling around with the knuckler in blowouts.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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As Molly and Guy start to fool around, things get hot and heavy, but Ernie has a job to do.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 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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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
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Cite this Entry
“Goof (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goof%20%28around%29. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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