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
Example Sentences
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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
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Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
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Myers’ maternal half-brother is Quentin Grimes, who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and spent part of the 2024-25 season with the Mavericks.—
Lia Assimakopoulos,
Dallas Morning News,
8 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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The medium that the signal travels through alters the signal’s properties as well, as an oncoming train sounds different from the air, with your ear to the ground, or from submerged in a body of water.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Mar. 2026
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In addition to the cables, Emma Penney, engineering manager, audio & RF, travels to the circuits and places 150 microphones around the track and up in the crowds to capture the sounds of practice sessions, qualifying races and the Grand Prix races.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
5 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
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Everyone associates that with us.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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And yet Guy still takes Kevis home to his apartment and hooks up with her!—
Lily Osler,
Vulture,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Davis connects with the 3-1 pitch, which falls into a soft spot in center field, bringing in two runs.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
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Kintetsu rail connects Yoshino to Osaka and Nara, and local buses help access trailheads.—
Alexandra Gillespie,
Outside,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Guess what bonds that group together?—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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That would be Jinu, soda-popping demon who steals souls but ultimately bonds with Rumi.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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The hot air just hangs about, causing the dish to cook unevenly with some spots nearly raw and others burnt.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messes around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messes%20around. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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