mess around

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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

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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 All of this establishes that Frank Martin does not mess around. Mike Ryan, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025 For quick messes around the house and in the car, opt for this handheld vacuum with more than 70,600 five-star ratings. Isabel Garcia, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025 Battle League launched a little bit light on content, with only a few stadiums to mess around with, simplified gameplay compared to past games in the series, and a small selection of characters. William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 In other words, let your ad creatives do the work of targeting for you rather than messing around with audience filters. Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
  • Drops were an issue, play strength due to smaller frame.
    Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Whitaker is played by Gerran Howell, who carried the title role on the CBBC's Young Dracula (2006–2014) before appearing on NBC's Emerald City (2017) and Hulu's adaptation of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (2019).
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Many White Lotus fans got an increasingly queasy feeling watching the siblings flirt with the boundaries of what is appropriate throughout the first half of Season 3.
    Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
  • After suffering two embarrassing losses to bottom-four teams each conference, the Knicks flirted with losing a third, blowing a substantial lead against the 15-win Wizards before pulling away with a 122-103 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Yet, as so often happens in the sport, Estrada did not travel a straight line to big-league prosperity.
    Dennis Lin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
  • The incident comes some seven years after an American missionary, John Allen Chau, traveled to the same island with a bible.
    Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Plotwise, four teens who grew up with technology and like to fool around on their laptops invading various verboten sites and having a great time doing it one day happen upon a bright idea.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Those historic missions and the pioneers associated with them should not be forgotten.
    Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • The cost associated would not exceed $30,000 — the same amount on the Public Interest Legal Foundation contract.
    Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Drivers including Ken Miles, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Bob Bondurant, and Carroll Shelby have also run the course.
    Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
  • His parents, who tell THR their son is taking the abrupt introduction to fame in stride, perch nearby, ready to run him home after the shoot.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
  • And while Goofy is looking to bond with his son after Max gets into trouble at school, the latter just wants to get to Los Angeles to see his favorite rock star in concert to impress his school crush, Roxanne.
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • After Brosnahan took home her Emmy statuette in 2018, Malek eventually approached her at a New York City music festival to bond over their good fortune involving Sherman-Palladino.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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