as in fiddled (around)
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goofed (around)
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Palisades won its first boys’ basketball title since 1969 after the program played 388 consecutive days without its own gymnasium because of last year’s fire.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Lewis played linebacker at Tennessee before signing with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and appearing in the preseason.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the email, Dixon suggested that the fire department employee may have messed around with the department's equipment.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Goofed (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goofed%20%28around%29. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
