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
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Recent Examples of mess around
But why are the Browns even messing around with this stuff?
—
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Paddy: But not all of my dad's college years were about messing around.
—Outside Online, 11 June 2025
Check out Samsung brand reviews for more tech reviews that don’t mess around.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025
Nothing major, but enough messing around to worsen his problems.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Paddy: But not all of my dad's college years were about messing around.
—Outside Online, 11 June 2025
Check out Samsung brand reviews for more tech reviews that don’t mess around.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025
Nothing major, but enough messing around to worsen his problems.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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Students were required to undertake certain extracurricular activities (Prevost was in the choir with Franks—both sing tenor—and played tennis) and to keep up their academic performance, but mostly the school’s focus was how to live in community.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Pitcher of the Year: Taylor McKean, Aledo Aledo senior Taylor McKean, a Tarleton Softball pledge, was one of the best pitchers in Dallas-Fort Worth and played a pivotal role in another strong season for the Bearcats.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 July 2025
Verb
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But going all day Tuesday and Wednesday is flirting with overkill and asking too much, even of the devout slackers.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
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Donald Trump has flirted with the ideology, and his administration has hired multiple staffers who appear sympathetic to the white-nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes, a believer in race science.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
9 July 2025
Verb
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After all, snowmobiles can’t smell seals or polar bears, nor travel quietly enough to avoid scaring off potential prey.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
10 July 2025
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Like the name suggests, these mule sneakers are easy to wear and travel in.—
Hillary Maglin,
Travel + Leisure,
10 July 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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Line dances are generally associated with country music, but now creating line dances to pop songs is the new trend.—
Angelica Wells,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
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Law enforcement officers raided a San Francisco home Tuesday associated with Devastating Pyrotechnics, the fireworks company linked to a deadly explosion last week in Esparto.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
9 July 2025
Verb
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The family at the heart of the story run a tourism business allowing Cappadocia to feature in a way that naturally chimes with the narrative, but the connection between landscape and plot runs far deeper, series director Murat Saraçoğlu says.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
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Trump has set a July 9 deadline for imposing reciprocal tariffs, but trade talks have run into obstacles including discussions over duties on farm goods, steel and car parts.—
Jennifer Cunningham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 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 pair of outsiders initially bond over being the rare scholarship students at their chilly New England Catholic school.—
Literary Hub
July 1,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
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The two have also bonded about their Mexican-American heritage.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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