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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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The latter argument in this play is made by a local realtor, Elliot Emerson, played by Richard Thomas in a self-aware bit of casting within director Kenny Leon’s Broadway production by Manhattan Theatre Club.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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The latter argument in this play is made by a local realtor, Elliot Emerson, played by Richard Thomas in a self-aware bit of casting within Kenny Leon’s Broadway production at Manhattan Theatre Club.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At a lawn party devoted to the game of cornhole, Clark flirts with Floyd’s wife and the two soon begin an affair, meeting for afternoon assignations at the local Quality Garden Suites.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Rams have Matthew Stafford as their starter for 2026, but Stafford has flirted with the idea of retirement each of the past two offseasons.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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But the umpires ruled the play still live and Antonacci ran around the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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Region Direct connects the Fan Festival to 15 locations across the metro (including Lawrence, Independence, Overland Park and more) with buses running every 20 minutes (30 minutes for Lawrence).—
Taylor Haught,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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The pair bonded immediately through an insatiable intellectual exchange — conversations that formed the basis of many of LaSota’s future blog posts — as well as their experiences navigating their respective gender transitions.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
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The Chi revolves around a group of residents on the South Side of Chicago who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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