1
as in plays
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 flirts
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 travels
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of messes around
Other standouts include a Maybelline mascara and a Black and Decker handheld vacuum, which makes quick work of small messes around the house and in the car.
—
Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messes around
Verb
-
Hsu plays Joy, a morose daughter of two Chinese immigrants.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
When the Heat plays Herro and Powell together, Miami has been outscored by 26 points in 249 minutes this season.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While waiting for flights to resume, Charli’s character Bethany flirts with the idea of blowing up her life by rekindling a romance with an old friend who owns a flower shop in Warsaw.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
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Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When sound travels through open air, higher frequencies get absorbed by the atmosphere faster than lower ones.—
Yook JiHun,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
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The movie’s second half travels to the Gaza border for a series of excoriating, excruciating monologues with the literal fog of war as background.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Vanity Fair,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Greene’s heart-to-heart media tour has been jarring liberals and anyone else who associates her with conspiratorial beliefs and outrageous comments.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
21 Nov. 2025
-
Everyone associates that with us.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nike consistently hooks up the University of Oregon‘s athletic programs with exclusive sneakers because of their longstanding relationship, and the newest spoils to emerge come via Nike’s most futuristic new basketball sneaker.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
9 Mar. 2026
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The sprayer hooks up to the water heater on the spare tire swing-out, fed by the dual-tank 200-L underbody fresh water system.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Northeast Passage connects Europe and Asia along the northern shores of Russia.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
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Its features include a 1,200-square-foot cabana, which connects to the mansion via a private underground tunnel, and a 150-foot dock extending from the lawn.—
Megan Vaz,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tekton bonds the body together into a seamless, self-supporting monocoque optimized for thermal and leakproof integrity.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2026
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Guess what bonds that group together?—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Though the sisters are supposedly first-generation Italian American, no whiff of the old country hangs about Kay; Dorothy will at least spit out a few words in Italian.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Turquoise pearl, and azure line the space, and a cylindrical hanging light sculpture made of hundreds of white and gold ceramic fish hangs about the lounge seating area.—
Kristin Braswell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messes around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messes%20around. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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