messed around

verb

past tense of mess around
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

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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed around
  1. played
  2. flirted
  3. associated
  4. fooled around
  5. traveled
  6. kicked around
  7. connected
  8. hooked up
Verb
  • The bridge — which connects Detroit and Windsor, Ontario — was named after legendary Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe who played for the Detroit Red Wings, symbolizing the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • Wallack’s critique was echoed by former Beach Commissioner Saul Gross, a real estate investor who has played a significant role in Art Deco district preservation and whose Streamline Properties is on Washington.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Definition of played
Verb
  • The most recent season also revealed that Wilson flirted with Miller throughout the summer, raising her hopes for a possible reconciliation, only to hook up with her best friend months later.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 July 2026
  • The stock's trading just under $200, a level it's flirted with since late last month, down 17% from its May record and up just 4% on the year, as investors have turned their attention to other AI components, like the memory-makers.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Definition of flirted
Verb
  • Research into how space radiation can affect the central nervous system, including differences associated with males and females, shows why the people studied and the questions asked matter when designing future missions.
    — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • Analyses to date show that, in older adults, GLP-1 drugs are associated with fewer cardiovascular events and, in some studies, lower all-cause mortality.
    — Liz Seegert, Scientific American, 19 July 2026
Definition of associated
Verb
  • 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
Definition of fooled around
Verb
  • Mohammad Taj, who travelled to Delhi from neighboring Haryana state, and whose face was badly bruised in the Monday crackdown, said the march heading to parliament had been peaceful.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • Coronilla Durán traveled from his hometown of San Luis de la Paz, in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, to Atlanta to visit family and friends, according to Isaret Jeffers, founder of Colectivo Arbol, a farmworkers advocacy group.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of traveled
Verb
  • No balls were kicked around, but a first impression was made about a pitch that’s cropped tighter than a Pebble Beach fairway yet in impressive shape after four games over 11 days.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • Near a door leading to a loading dock, a group of players on the host Vegas Golden Knights — including forward Mitch Marner, who went on to score a regulation hat trick in a 5-4 win — stood in a circle and kicked around a soccer ball.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of kicked around
Verb
  • Breakker connected with a flying cross body over the barricade on Breakker as Cole talked up Evans developing an edge.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Unlike renewable sources, nuclear reactors can generate energy on demand and can be connected directly to the grid.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026
Definition of connected
Verb
  • Hernandez also hooked up with Airbnb for a hilarious World Cup collaboration.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • The Elora electrical system is built atop a 5-kWh EcoFlow battery hooked up to EcoFLow's 5-in-1 PowerHub with inverter and 200 watts of solar charging.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026
Definition of hooked up

Browse Nearby Words

messed
messed around
messed over
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All