1
as in fiddling (around)
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 flirting
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 traveling
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 messing around
Miami’s defense isn’t messing around The Hurricanes defense has rattled Julian Sayin.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Apple isn't messing around with this update.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
The dismantling of the Cubs in the NLDS was a statement series that the Brewers are not messing around and have the power to win their first World Series.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready.
—Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Apple isn't messing around with this update.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
The dismantling of the Cubs in the NLDS was a statement series that the Brewers are not messing around and have the power to win their first World Series.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready.
—Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing around
Verb
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During one table read, Telfer orchestrated a plan to have Cusack sit beside him and share a script, flirting throughout the night.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, touted the decrease in fuel costs, with the national average flirting with the $3-per-gallon price point.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Legion Pro Rollable lets players train in conditions closer to tournament play, even while traveling.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Santa Rosa Police Department said in a press release that officers responded to multiple reports of a shooting at the mall and found a 15-year-old boy who had been shot, with the bullet traveling through his body, leaving entry and exit wounds in his upper shoulder and mid-back area.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The teen was playing basketball at the park when he was approached by a group of young adults, who asked the teen if he was affiliated with a gang and tried to start a fight, police said.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Guys were playing hard, everybody on that drive was doing their job, and getting guys down on the ground.—
Mike Kaye
Updated January 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Additionally, the dolphins may also be associating with non-dolphin-eating orcas to learn to distinguish their sounds from those of the threatening mammal-eating killer whales.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Dec. 2025
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Hellfire Club Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is the only one still associating himself with the Hellfire Club at Hawkins High School, because the rest of the student body still thinks Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) is responsible for killing Vecna’s victims last season.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Organized labor won his backing because hooking up with the Teamsters and learning to drive a truck got him out of the California tomato fields.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Dec. 2025
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But the 27-year-old Alabama man didn’t see through on that promise and ended up staying in Fiji and hooking up with other lovelies.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mayor Armin Mizani, who is running for Texas House District 98, had sought to make Keller the first city in the nation to codify a ban on Islam’s legal system.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
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DeRozan received the pass, took one dribble and tried a running 29-foot 3-pointer that clanked off the back rim and the Kings lost, 100-98.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.—
Elliott Harrell,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
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Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messing around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing%20around. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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