MESSES AROUND Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

messes around

verb

present tense third-person singular of mess around

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

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

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messes around

Verb

China currently plays a dominant role in the global tungsten supply chain, leaving the US facing a challenge that goes beyond finding new deposits.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
Brunson plays a rapper justifying paying everyone in his entourage to his accountant (Padilla).

— Rima Parikh, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of plays

Verb

Hal flirts with Kerry; John has an affair with Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), the wife of William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), a local cattle mogul whose compound has more high tech weaponry than a mere human would seem to need.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Rachel dates a shoe store operator named Lou (Bob Hoskins), while Charlotte nurses a crush on her handsome young school bus driver and flirts with Catholicism to the chagrin of her Jewish mother.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 17 July 2026

Definition of flirts

Verb

Ray tracing is a rendering technique that simulates how light travels and interacts with surfaces to produce realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
Season 1 was a ratings hit and the second travels further afield to open with a daring operation on the Mont St Michel, with other locations including the Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou and Montparnasse Tower.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of travels

Verb

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
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

Definition of hangs about

Verb

The Shiji associates Sun Tzu with Wu’s campaigns against its powerful rival Chu, including the campaign that culminated in the capture of the Chu capital, Ying, in 506 bce.

— Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
What being Southern meant to his father—and the values Duane associates with being a Southern gentleman.

— Sid Evans, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of associates

Verb

Cade Depriest hooks up with a Gunn again for 34 yards and Winter Park is on the move back inside the red zone.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Tony contains details directly pulled from Kitchen Confidential, including a memorable moment in which one of the cooks (Leo Woodall) hooks up with a bride who visits the restaurant immediately following her own wedding.

— Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of hooks up

Verb

The note change is a marker, but the organ, in which air is electronically blown through the pipes day and night for all to hear, has become an endearing sound that connects you to your being.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
The goal is to understand where your organization connects with customers on the things that matter most to them, and to look at your own brand honestly.

— Sena Kwawu, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of connects

Verb

Realize that the cement is the glue that bonds the sand and stones in your mix together.

— Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Higher rates tend to slow economic activity by making borrowing more expensive and bonds more competitive with stocks for investment dollars.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of bonds

Browse Nearby Words

messes

messes around

messes over

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“Messes around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messes%20around. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of messes around

verb

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