messes around

Definition of messes aroundnext
present tense third-person singular of mess around
1
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

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
  • Clark, 24, who plays guard for the Indiana Fever, showed her support via a brief message in the post’s comments section.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Romvari herself grew up on an island in British Columbia, and the natural landscape plays a significant role in her movie’s textures and tones.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.
    JP Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Written and directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, the film centers on a young man from Mumbai who travels back to his family’s village in rural Maharashtra after his father dies, bound by tradition to observe a 10-day mourning period.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The first follows the Rajput king Ratansen of Chitor (a fortress in what is now Chittorgarh, Rajasthan), who renounces his throne and travels as a yogi (wandering ascetic) to the island kingdom of Simhal to win the legendary Padmavati.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Kimbo also hooks up a standard electrical system with 2-kWh, 12-V lithium battery, 240-W Renogy solar panel setup, integrated wiring and shore power hookup.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • The Brick is a device that connects wirelessly to smartphones.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The largest project is a second tidal dock that connects to the Deurganck Dock, as well as expansion of the Noordzee Terminal.
    Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The architect ultimately bonds with — and quickly becomes attracted to — his friend’s wife (Pamela Gidley), and as the two of them pursue their passions together, secrets from the architect’s past and family bubble to the surface.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Tekton bonds the body together into a seamless, self-supporting monocoque optimized for thermal and leakproof integrity.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026
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

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Cite this Entry

“Messes around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messes%20around. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

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