horsed around

verb

past tense of horse around
as in clowned (around)
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior the boys were horsing around on the boat when one of them fell overboard

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for horsed around
  1. cut up
  2. fooled around
  3. showed off
  4. acted up
Verb
  • One of the women was cut up and wearing a bathing suit while Kovalcik was shirtless.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Sporting Kansas City joined the vanquished Galaxy and Real Salt Lake on Saturday as LAFC cut up the last-place team in the Western Conference, 4-0.
    — Josh Gross, Daily News, 26 July 2026
Definition of cut up
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
Definition of fooled around
Verb
  • And Field was there on Wednesday evening to cheer on her friend as Walker toasted Anonymous Content’s Emmy nominees this year and showed off his famous new digs at a historic Los Angeles address.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The designer showed off a cheeky chartreuse green bikini in a completely sheer cover-up that was held together with string.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of showed off
Verb
  • And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Definition of acted up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

horseback
horsed around
horsefeathers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Horsed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/horsed%20around. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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