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
Crusty on the outside and gooey on the inside, this sandwich doesn't mess around.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
While the directors mess around with genre in each chapter and the cast differs from story to story, the six narratives are given a sense of consistency courtesy of the unique Coen voice.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
The Detroit Tigers didn’t mess around this winter, adding top starting pitcher Framber Valdez to pair with two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal atop the club’s rotation.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
While the directors mess around with genre in each chapter and the cast differs from story to story, the six narratives are given a sense of consistency courtesy of the unique Coen voice.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
The Detroit Tigers didn’t mess around this winter, adding top starting pitcher Framber Valdez to pair with two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal atop the club’s rotation.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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That was the game Towns played.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Mia Arguelles, who typically plays midfielder, filled in at goalkeeper due to injuries and made two saves for Andrew (7-6-1, 3-2).—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The White Sox were flirting with first place in the American League Central on Tuesday, trailing the Cleveland Guardians by a half-game.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Disney has flirted with an all-encompassing super app concept in the past.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
Verb
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In 2026, the Eta Aquarid peak will occur overnight on May 5-6, as Earth travels through the densest part of Halley's debris stream.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
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The club said the victims of the private aircraft crash were Seren Wilson, Brooke Skypala, Stacy Hedrick, Glen Appling and Hayden Dillard, who were traveling to a tournament.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Another horny couple on vacation couldn’t wait until their flight landed to fool around and insisted on doing so in the plane's cabin.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This movement, known as critical legal studies, was associated with the political left, and its exponents, known as crits, loved to disparage liberal theorists’ devotion to the Constitution as naïve and counterproductive.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Rather than steering young people exclusively toward high-paying technical fields like computer science, a growing number are emphasizing the long-term value of skills often associated with a humanities or liberal arts education.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The Knicks made life difficult for him in the halfcourt, and once that happened, Atlanta’s offense kept running into dead ends.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Funding to run the Orange Line 24 hours a day, one of the first major service improvements that acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen floated after lawmakers approved new transit funding last fall.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 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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In 2024, Nat Wolff told Variety that the trio bonded over having Tourette syndrome.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
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The calf has been bonding with his mother, Belle, behind the scenes and learning how to swim.—
Harriet Ramos
May 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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