1
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to flirt
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
a guy who goes to the health club mainly to mess around with the women
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to travel
to come or be together as friends
if you continue to mess around with such narrow-minded boobs, you'll begin to think and act like them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of mess around
The Lakers weren’t messing around during the film sessions or practices.
—
Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Crusty on the outside and gooey on the inside, this sandwich doesn't mess around.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
While the directors mess around with genre in each chapter and the cast differs from story to story, the six narratives are given a sense of consistency courtesy of the unique Coen voice.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Crusty on the outside and gooey on the inside, this sandwich doesn't mess around.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
While the directors mess around with genre in each chapter and the cast differs from story to story, the six narratives are given a sense of consistency courtesy of the unique Coen voice.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
-
For tour this time around, Pillsbury is looking forward to playing larger venues, which offer space for grander production.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
-
The elder Moniak, now 86, played six seasons in the Red Sox farm system from 1958-63, and like Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, was among the young outfielders who benefited from the tutelage of a special batting instructor named Ted Williams at spring training ‘61-63.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2026
Verb
-
The vampire at the center of Rice’s beloved novels has flirted with music before.—
Precious Fondren,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
After nearly half a century of flirting with direct conflict, the United States finally went to war with Iran.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Schwarber’s first home run traveled 456 feet, while his second blast of the third inning measured 457 feet off Mets reliever Cionel Pérez.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2026
-
Belief traveled sideways, not down.—
Julie Averill,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Another horny couple on vacation couldn’t wait until their flight landed to fool around and insisted on doing so in the plane's cabin.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
What about a legal right for AIs to freely access the public internet (the right to information); or a legal right for AIs to interact with other AIs (the right to associate); or a legal right to some minimum amount of computing power (the right to necessary resources)?—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
-
Governed by the ever-changing moon — associated with emotions, memory, intuition and our most basic needs — this Water sign governs our emotional world, family ties and deepest instincts.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
On Monday, May 18, a 7%-illuminated crescent will hang about two degrees from Venus, with Jupiter about 20 degrees above.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The couple's Jeep Compass was still running and the fan was on high, however, the air conditioning wasn't working, according to authorities.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 June 2026
-
Rodrigo Carmona, who runs the juice and snack spot with his wife and son, simply kept it.—
Daniel Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2026
Verb
-
Clear skies are in the forecast for the next few days as temperatures kick around the upper 90s.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 June 2026
-
All told, it’s been a pretty spectacular and drama-free rollout for an idea that had been kicking around Hollywood for over 15 years.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
