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
Most people are messing around charging far too little for clients who don't appreciate them.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
No messing around — just wham, bam, thank you, GLAM!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
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
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
No messing around — just wham, bam, thank you, GLAM!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing around
Verb
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See if cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s timeline matches that of the Steelers after flirting with the possibility of a reunion last spring.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
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The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell more than 10% Thursday alone and is now down about 20% this week — a sharp reversal from last fall, when bitcoin was flirting with record highs and optimism around crypto was everywhere.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The two endpoints have moved a meter farther apart, traveling at, say, one meter per second.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Swiss Federal Railways, or SBB, is your go-to railway when traveling within Switzerland, and one-way tickets cost $30 on average.—
Erik Buckingham,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Baseball owners, with Dick Monfort playing a prominent role as a hawk in labor negotiations, are expected to lock out the players after this season, seeking a salary cap, believing that is the only reason the Dodgers win.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
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Back in 2013, Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez tore a ligament in his thumb while playing for the Dominican Republic.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
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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This rhetoric is employed to justify the state taking life, by associating the dead with national villainy.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
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This result is likely because of stereotypes associating Asian American students with higher GPAs and Black students with lower GPAs.—
Kenji Yoshino,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
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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The Puppy Bowl, the longest-running call-to-adoption television event, returns for its 22nd year.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
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Raman is one of over two dozen candidates running against Bass, as the mayor has faced sweeping scrutiny for her handling of the Los Angeles fires, among other issues.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Feb. 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 13 Feb. 2026.
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