1
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mess around
Hopefully that means more than just an introductory area to mess around in.
—
David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
With Joe Maddon as his manager for the first half of his career, Hendricks was provided room to screw up — messing around with his mechanics and pitch arsenal — to become a top-end starting pitcher who helped the Chicago Cubs claim the 2016 World Series.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
Instead, one of them is messing around on the road, causing a driver to swerve, crash and fall off a cliff into the water.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 18 July 2025
For a while now, Spider-Man fans have been hoping that Tom Holland’s MCU version, after messing around with galactic battles and the multiverse, may go back to his roots.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
With Joe Maddon as his manager for the first half of his career, Hendricks was provided room to screw up — messing around with his mechanics and pitch arsenal — to become a top-end starting pitcher who helped the Chicago Cubs claim the 2016 World Series.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
Instead, one of them is messing around on the road, causing a driver to swerve, crash and fall off a cliff into the water.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 18 July 2025
For a while now, Spider-Man fans have been hoping that Tom Holland’s MCU version, after messing around with galactic battles and the multiverse, may go back to his roots.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Even the new Superman movie flirts with the idea that our fractious species might be improved by an infusion of alien seed into the gene pool.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
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During the selloff, the S&P 500 flirted with bear market territory, diving nearly 20% from its prior high.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
2 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In 1971, President Richard Nixon met with the Emperor of Japan on the tarmac in Anchorage as Hirohito traveled to Europe for meetings.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
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The wallet traveled 151,000 miles before being discovered.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
Freep.com,
15 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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The showgirl aesthetic is typically associated with the burlesque scene, where female performers adorned themselves with rhinestones, sequins, and feathers at various clubs, theaters, and lounges.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
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Some oral and throat cancers are also associated with HPV infection.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The series ran for 11 seasons, beginning in 2010 until its final episode in 2022.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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There's nothing like a chicken dinner recipe that's quick, easy, and delicious to make a weeknight menu run smoothly.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 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 actress told Teen Vogue in November 2022 that one of the best parts of filming the series in Romania was bonding with her fellow castmates.—
Karli Bendlin,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The underside of the stones is bonded to the sticky asphalt cement.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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