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
As far as home finds, pick up this fall-scented candle and a lightweight handheld vacuum to tackle quick messes around the house.
—
Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Johnson mentioned that black widow bites are relatively rare, but nothing to mess around with.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Cargo Pants Engineered with Columbia’s water-resistant, moisture-wicking, sun-protective fabric weave, these hiking pants don’t mess around.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready.
—Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Johnson mentioned that black widow bites are relatively rare, but nothing to mess around with.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Columbia Men’s Silver Ridge Cargo Pants Engineered with Columbia’s water-resistant, moisture-wicking, sun-protective fabric weave, these hiking pants don’t mess around.
—Alice Bennett, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025
Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready.
—Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
-
Pascal and Bad Bunny played the lothario's hot brothers.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Nov. 2025
-
The Heat entered Tuesday’s matchup against the Hornets having outscored opponents by a total of 46 points in the 29 minutes that the bench quartet of Fontecchio, Jaquez, Jovic and Smith played together through the first three games of the season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Other Inside Trader Joe’s podcast episodes have discussed many of the quirks of the beloved grocery store, like what the bells next to cash registered are for and whether employees are encouraged to flirt with customers.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Nevertheless, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, touted the decrease in fuel costs, with the national average flirting with the $3-per-gallon price point.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In an August 2017 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Ellen described her role as a baseball wife as being the family's accountant, traveling secretary and real estate agent.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Apa's character, Archie Andrews, was attacked by a bear after escaping from an underground prison fight club; Reinhart's Betty discovered her father was a serial killer and saved her sister from a cult; and Mendes traveled back in time to invent birth control.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
At the time Farzam was no longer a cadet or associated with the local police department.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Its natural deodorizing properties help neutralize the unpleasant smells associated with pets, according to Stein.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Since last Thursday, Disney has run public messages notifying YouTube TV customers of a possible blackout.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The duo will produce the film with David Glasser, who runs Sheridan’s production company 101 Studios.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.—
Elliott Harrell,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The situation became even more uncomfortable when his child attempted to bond with her.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Valentina may prefer people but the two dogs bonded well.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share