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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When Doncic played for the Dallas Mavericks and led them to the 2024 NBA Finals, his two centers — Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford — were exceptional in their roles as lob threats, blocking shots and rolling to the rim.
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The rivalry is so intense that overnight in Mexico, fans played instruments, sang, and made as much noise as possible outside the Ecuador team hotel to deprive the squad of sleep.
Verb
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Banks first flirted with a version of the movie back in 2020, when it was set up at Universal.
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Antetokounmpo, the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 2020, has reportedly flirted with trade requests for much of the last year.
Verb
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That estimate does not include costs associated with year-round state workers whose regular duties were diverted to support the session, including legislative staff and law enforcement officers.
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Berlant highlighted wildfires as one of the risks associated with celebrating irresponsibly.
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.
Verb
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Luke Russert traveled to foreign countries in grief Russert later attended Boston College and graduated in 2008.
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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert sign has traveled from the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York to a restaurant in Southern California.
Verb
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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.
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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.
Verb
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Mysterio finally connected with 619 followed by a Frog Splash for the win.
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Officials said activities connected to people ‒ from fireworks to carelessly discarded cigarettes ‒ have sparked 75% of wildfires in Utah in 2026.
Verb
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The cooling stations are large 20 foot by 25 foot container boxes hooked up to a generator that can comfortably fit about 20 people, Spearo said.
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He was hooked up to a heart-lung machine for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), used during life-threatening heart and lung conditions.
Cite this Entry
“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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