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
Between filming, the kids would mess around and explore the soundstages, playing capture the flag and hide-and-seek in the famed Chamber of Secrets and other notable locations on set.
—
Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 17 May 2025
Yeah, the team is old, and would have benefited from closing out the Rockets in five instead of messing around till Game 7.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 May 2025
Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska’s north slope, there’s no messing around with spring.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Sean Keeler, columnist: The Broncos needed a franchise QB last year, and didn’t mess around.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 17 May 2025
Yeah, the team is old, and would have benefited from closing out the Rockets in five instead of messing around till Game 7.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 May 2025
Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska’s north slope, there’s no messing around with spring.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Sean Keeler, columnist: The Broncos needed a franchise QB last year, and didn’t mess around.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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Both Earps and Hampton have played a very similar number of minutes and faced a very similar number of shots, but Earps’ shot-stopping has not been as strong, conceding 1.6 goals more than expected, based on the quality of shots faced.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Baty plays second base on days when Vientos starts at the hot corner, and Vientos gets DH days to get Baty at third.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The Grove developer has been flirting with both a gubernatorial bid and another run at the Los Angeles mayor’s race but remains undecided.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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Much older and experienced than a traditional expansion team, the Panthers flirted with the playoffs in their first two seasons before making it in their third.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The ban, which goes into effect on Monday, bars travel to the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.—
Hamed Aleaziz,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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With a robust slate, strategic partnerships, and international ambitions, the production house is betting big on content that travels — whether vertically on mobile screens or globally across borders.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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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DuckDuckGo, for instance, was already blocking domains and IP addresses associated with the trackers, preventing the browser from sending any identifiers to Meta.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
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This Country Was Just Named the Safest Place to Travel in 2025 The danger can also begin well before a traveler leaves home, with fraud associated with early stage trip planning increasing 12 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year.—
Jessica Puckett,
Travel + Leisure,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Bennet, who is now running for governor, and Tester largely ignored the protesters, who interjected throughout the event, as they were escorted out or asked by security not to disrupt.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
29 May 2025
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On the first half-court possession of the game, Boston ran a handoff with Sydney Colson on the wing, springing her for a clean jumper at the free-throw line.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Verb
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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
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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 two are bonded forever, use catchphrases to communicate and care intensely about each other.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2025
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If Korda happens to bond with his offspring, that’s a bonus.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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