1
as in played
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flirted
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 associated
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 messed around
Dragstrem, who focuses more on production, has messed around with it but was left unsatisfied; McGill, who’s more lyrics-driven, wants nothing to do with the tech.
—
Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 30 May 2026
In the email, Dixon suggested that the fire department employee may have messed around with the department's equipment.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 30 May 2026
In the email, Dixon suggested that the fire department employee may have messed around with the department's equipment.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed around
Verb
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In addition, the Urban Summit played a leading role in the special election to recall former Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.—
Freddrell Green,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
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While the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy are remembered each year, Museum officials said the women on the home front played an essential role in making Allied victory possible.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
Verb
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The Colts flirted with Indiana secretly, but the Bears are doing so boldly, and none of this makes sense.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Outside of Narnia, Netflix has somewhat flirted with theatrical.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The source also said Bessent has directed his team to assess conditions in the Gulf and request comprehensive estimates of costs associated with such repairs.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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Though the Roberts family’s attorneys have insisted that the buyers and sellers are in accord, preservation advocates in Riverside have called for a review of documents associated with Roberts’ purchase of the property.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since then, the brothers have travelled the world, while the case appears stalled and the evidence remains sealed.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
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Romano was among those who traveled to San Antonio for Game 2, when the Knicks eked out a one-point win.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Verb
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Fans draped themselves in Haitian flags and danced to upbeat compas music while children kicked around soccer balls at the small meet-and-greet.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 May 2026
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That bill's kicked around on the House's calendar for a few weeks now.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They’re connected by a free three-and-a-half-mile coastal trail known as the Cliff Walk—one of the biggest tourist draws to America’s smallest state.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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Marsh connected in the third inning off David Sandlin, his eighth of the year, and hit an RBI single in the sixth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Verb
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During one cognitive session, he was hooked up to brain-monitoring technology while watching a documentary and speaking with a specialist.—
Melinda Fulmer,
Robb Report,
11 June 2026
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On Tuesday, June 9, the influencer posted a photo of her and Conner at the visitation for their late child, who died at 8 months old from multiple organ failure after having spent most of her life hooked up to hospital machines for her congenital heart defect.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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