Synonyms of messing around

messing around

verb

present participle of mess around

1

as in fiddling (around)

to spend time in aimless activity

spent the vacation day just messing around

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fiddling (around)
• playing
• fooling around
• puttering (around)
• goofing (around)
• pottering (around)
• monkeying (around)
• hanging about
• kicking around
• hanging (around or out)
• doodling
• trifling
• fribbling
• horsing around
• clowning (around)
• lounging
• idling
• diddling (with)
• loafing
• dawdling
• lolling
• tinkering
• dallying
• dillydallying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• setting (to)
• settling (down)
• buckling (down)
• knuckling down

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

• flirting
• frivoling
• coquetting
• trifling
• toying
• playing (with)
• leading on
• putting on
• stringing along
• dallying
• wooing
• vamping
• kidding
• teasing
• courting
• mashing
• ribbing
• fooling
• razzing
• joshing
• manipulating

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

• traveling
• hanging (around or out)
• associating
• hooking up
• rubbing shoulders (with)
• running
• rubbing elbows (with)
• palling (around)
• connecting
• taking up with
• falling in with
• mixing
• joining
• collaborating
• being friends with
• keeping company (with)
• mingling
• bonding
• relating
• sorting
• getting along
• befriending
• getting on
• consorting
• fraternizing
• chumming
• hobnobbing
• companying
• cooperating
• consociating
• coupling
• rallying
• linking
• grouping
• tying
• attaching
• allying
• clubbing
• socializing
• teaming
• siding
• wedding
• affiliating
• knotting
• interrelating
• leaguing
• colluding
• confederating
• banding
• conjoining
• ganging
• friending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shunning
• splitting (up)
• snubbing
• breaking up
• alienating
• estranging
• dispersing
• splitting
• cold-shouldering
• disbanding
• severing
• divorcing
• dissociating
• sundering
• disjoining
• disuniting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of messing around

His first two features were loose, low-budget films starring himself and made by messing around with friends; they were built on spontaneity and the belief that a movie reveals itself in the edit. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026

That sounds way better than messing around with a complex spider web of pole segments, elastic cords, sleeves and clips. — New Atlas, 9 July 2026

Kylian liked messing around, having a laugh and telling jokes — just like the rest of us. — Tom Williams, New York Times, 16 June 2026

All of our memories are traveling the world, messing around, having fun, and being teenagers. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2026

The Lakers weren’t messing around during the film sessions or practices. — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026

Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026

So, get ready to travel to Sweden for a taste of adolescence full of smiles, tears, dancing, messing around – and skateboards. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026

Morgan had been messing around with a curveball, but didn’t actually throw it until a workout at Petco Park a week before the draft. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026