messed around

past tense of mess around
1
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed around
Verb
  • The Pro Football Hall of Famer who played 17 years for the Miami Dolphins is widely considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, served as an analyst for The NFL Today on CBS for over a decade and most importantly was in a movie with Jim Carrey and an actual dolphin.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Aduba, 44, played famous detective Cordelia Cupp, who was determined to solve an unexpected murder at the White House, in The Residence.
    Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Koufax had flirted with pitching greatness.
    Steve Futterman, NPR, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The company flirted with bankruptcy.
    Kyle Westaway, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This approach has enabled Apex to scale quickly while maintaining the stability and resources associated with a corporate partnership.
    William Jones, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Bowlan had to learn the nuances associated with relief work, from arm care to consistent throwing.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Neural highways that once buzzed with activity are becoming quiet country roads, rarely traveled and slowly overgrown.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The end of winter break was nearing for the two university students, who had traveled to Urbana to visit other water polo players at the University of Illinois, Abraham’s father told CNN.
    Taylor Romine, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • EDTIn a press conference, authorities shared security camera footage of the gunman running across a roof and jumping down from a building before leaving the Utah Valley University campus.
    Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The design leans rustic (give or take a couple of Togo chairs), with moss green paneling, tartan upholstery, and wood beams running throughout.
    Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • By making the cameras solar-powered and connected over cell networks, Flock brought the technology within reach of smaller towns and departments that couldn’t afford earlier systems.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025
  • From remixes to memes to emotional fan reactions, the film claimed a fiercely loyal and notably young audience that arguably hasn’t connected with anything this strongly in years.
    Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The idea of an independent misconduct authority has been kicked around by the industry since the Noel Clarke scandal four years ago, but its existence has become more pressing amid a string of power abuse crises involving the likes of MasterChef presenter Wallace and ITV chef Gino D’Acampo.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Peralta leaders had kicked around the idea for years but avoided discussing it in concrete terms, with bureaucratic tangles often getting in the way.
    Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Tattoos covered his arms and head, his ride parked outside, rattling from all the bass the speakers hooked up in the trunk pushed.
    Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Ruisz and Durkin hooked up again on a 51-yard TD pass midway through the second quarter as the Eagles built a 28-0 halftime lead on the way to avenging last season’s 42-27 loss to the Thunderbolts and giving Murphy a win in his debut as Sandburg’s head coach.
    Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!