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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The Celtics played without Tatum after he was ruled out about 90 minutes before tipoff with left knee stiffness.—
Kyle Hightower,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
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Meanwhile, Ella was explaining to my mother why the teacher had sent a note home with her and recounting how her friend Stacy had played kitchen with a new girl during free time at school and allowed Ella to join them only for the cleanup part.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
Verb
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The 30-year Treasury bond also flirted with a 5% yield in late March, when stocks were hitting their lows from the war in the Middle East and yields were hitting their highs amid inflation concerns driven by higher oil prices.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
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Rudy Gobert flirted with a triple-double, tallying 10 points, 13 rebounds and a stunning eight assists.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Winner is responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes, if any, as well as any other costs and expenses associated with Prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
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Drivers may also experience smoother brake operation because the system avoids the harsh pedal pulsing commonly associated with older anti-lock braking systems.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
7 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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Shortly before the shooting, Vice President JD Vance's motorcade traveled through the area of the incident.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
5 May 2026
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Like Turner, Church also travelled far beyond the shores of his homeland.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Derek Hill hit for Jarred Kelenic and connected on an 0-2 fastball from Adrian Morejon for a game-tying, two-run home run.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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Terry Laird, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, has spent his adult life keeping the people who live on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island connected.—
Dana Munro,
Washington Post,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Qi'ra Before Han Solo hooked up with Princess Leia, Qi'ra was his childhood sweetheart on Corellia.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
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In 1932, the inventor Alois Benjamin Saliger patented the Psycho-phone, a phonograph hooked up to a timer which could play recordings while a person was asleep.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Neighborhood response Feedback from residents, behind the scenes and in public meetings, has been mixed.—
Sofi Zeman
May 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 May 2026
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Designed by the label’s then creative director, Olivier Rousteing, the unorthodox gown was sculpted based on a cast of Tyla’s body, then created out of three different colors of sand mixed with micro-crystal studs, providing extra sparkle down to the tip of her mermaid train.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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