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
Guerin has a history of going straight to his final offer — not messing around.
—
Michael Russo, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Morgan had been messing around with a curveball, but didn’t actually throw it until a workout at Petco Park a week before the draft.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
The Italian heritage brand Frette does not mess around with luxury.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Michael Russo, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Morgan had been messing around with a curveball, but didn’t actually throw it until a workout at Petco Park a week before the draft.
—Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
The Italian heritage brand Frette does not mess around with luxury.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
-
Kuruc committed last month to UIC, solidifying her future plans and fulfilling a longtime goal to follow in Dwyer’s shoes and play Division I soccer.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Anze Kopitar played his final game at Rogers Arena and registered an assist on Kempe's second-period goal.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the crowded field of candidates committed to or flirting with a run for mayor of Chicago, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias again dominated fundraising to start the year.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Lindsay leverages her own position in the club by flirting with the new tennis pro, Woosh, over text.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s according to a reporter traveling with Vance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Glover will become the first Black man to travel to deep space, Koch the first woman and Hansen the first non-American.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
And there’s this: No fooling around in mid-June and having a life event get in the way of the March Madness get-together nine months later.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The prospect of empty seats would alarm the television networks and sponsors who have paid top dollar to be associated with the tournament.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Indeed, a recent Anthropic study found AI is already theoretically capable of performing a majority of the tasks associated with roles in engineering, law, business, finance, and management.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Speier, who entered politics by first working as a congressional aide and experienced harassment from a supervisor, said that part of the problem in Congress is that members are given wide latitude to run their offices.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Sometimes these Chicago White Sox rebuilds seem to run together in your mind.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Though the sisters are supposedly first-generation Italian American, no whiff of the old country hangs about Kay; Dorothy will at least spit out a few words in Italian.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Turquoise pearl, and azure line the space, and a cylindrical hanging light sculpture made of hundreds of white and gold ceramic fish hangs about the lounge seating area.—
Kristin Braswell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
State prosecutors say Lodholm bonded out of jail in 2013 and fled the state of Michigan.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The governor could not answer how much money would be bonded out by the bill.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
