1
as in played
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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
Adam Thompson, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed around
Verb
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Chris Sanon, the Orlando area’s leader in sacks a year ago, played well in his move to linebacker from edge rusher.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
-
He’s only played in four major championships in his career.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Apparently being budgeted in the $70M range, the buzzy project has attracted Matthew McConaughey, Pedro Pascal and Austin Butler and has been flirted with by studios over the years.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
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In 2025, the timing of the Cannes dress code announcement allowed a few rebels to get around the new rules—from Heidi Klum and her dramatic ruffle train to Bella Hadid, whose daring split dress also flirted with the limits imposed by Cannes protocol.—
Blanche Marcel,
Vanity Fair,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Contact each creditor or debt collector associated with a fraudulent account.—
Miranda Marquit,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 May 2026
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Because the mineral contains titanium and potassium, and those elements are associated with the rocks in Earth’s crust, the researchers think kopylovite is produced when sediments sink into the mantle in subduction zones atop slabs of oceanic crust.—
James Dinneen,
Scientific American,
14 May 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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Here was a man who had conquered eight halls of fame, had traveled the world many times over, and nothing compared to his home.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
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Prosecutors allege Gitesatani traveled to Los Angeles to attend the protest.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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As part of that package, Republicans included $1 billion for White House security enhancements, part of it connected to Trump’s ballroom.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Austin police arrested two juveniles Sunday who investigators believe were connected to 12 shooting incidents across the city that injured four people, struck two fire stations and triggered a shelter-in-place order in South Austin.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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At the front of the line was a woman hooked up to an oxygen tank who had arrived 90 minutes before the building opened.—
Shannon Pettypiece,
NBC news,
11 May 2026
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It's hooked up directly to either a minimalist chest harness, or to a front vest/harness with six pockets that can be used to carry snacks, tools, and various other bits and bobs.—
Ben Coxworth
May 11,
New Atlas,
11 May 2026
Verb
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This would be an entertaining video to show up on your doom scroll late at night, seeing how paint colors can be mixed and matched to present the color of your opponent, but two and a half minutes of this?—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
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The state passed legislation in 2023 and adopted a Bill of Rights for English Language Learners in 2024, but implementation has been mixed and funding is lacking.—
Mariana Navarrete Villegas,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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