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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Peat fit in well with Arizona’s veteran lineup, as the freshman didn’t force the issue and played within the offense.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Jan. 2026 -
Guys were playing hard, everybody on that drive was doing their job, and getting guys down on the ground.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
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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
Verb
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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
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The hot air just hangs about, causing the dish to cook unevenly with some spots nearly raw and others burnt.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Could be fun to mess around with alternative world shapes if this is in play.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
12 Jan. 2026
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Given another chance, the Cubs did not wait around until spring training or mess around with a team-friendly offer, hoping that Bregman and his agent, Scott Boras, would eventually run out of options and settle for a below-market deal.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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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 17 Jan. 2026.
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