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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The game was played in Texas but Knicks fans gathered at watch parties across the city to witness the team battle back in the fourth quarter to take the title.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Although the championship-clinching game was played thousands of miles away, police maintained a large presence around Madison Square Garden, the Knicks' home arena.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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By early 2002, Marklar had attracted more attention within Apple, and then-CEO Steve Jobs briefly flirted with the idea of allowing Mac OS X to run on Sony’s Vaio laptops.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
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At the end of the 1990s, the Spurs flirted with leaving San Antonio before voters approved funding a $175 million arena in 1999.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
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Though more commonly associated with their long migrations from Alaska to Hawaii or showing off for whale watchers off the coast of New England, a unique population of humpback whales call the Arabian Sea home.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
19 June 2026
-
Climate change and associated recent heat waves and droughts compounded the challenges faced by the tree, wrote the society.—
Karina Zaiets,
USA Today,
19 June 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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The Cabrera family from Chicago traveled to Miami to attend Monday’s match and the Sunday game between Uruguay and Cape Verde.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
-
The Ranch consists of a selective bunch of professionals that work seamlessly, cohesively together, allowing the Ranch to run efficiently for the guests who traveled from far and near to visit.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
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.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
8 June 2026
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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.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Ben Williamson connected early for his second career homer.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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Research suggests that career achievement and mental health are deeply connected.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
They were asked questions while hooked up to the polygraph, leading to an emotional interview.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
-
And just as the image of black people beaten for trying to cross a bridge resonated beyond our community, the image of a Palestinian hooked up to an IV, writhing in agony and burning alive, resonates far beyond theirs.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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