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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of messing around
Winners Week 1 in primetime The schedule makers weren’t messing around with the opening week of games under the lights.
—
Jeff Howe, New York Times, 15 May 2026
All of our memories are traveling the world, messing around, having fun, and being teenagers.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 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
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
Most people are messing around charging far too little for clients who don't appreciate them.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Jeff Howe, New York Times, 15 May 2026
All of our memories are traveling the world, messing around, having fun, and being teenagers.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 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
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
Most people are messing around charging far too little for clients who don't appreciate them.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing around
Verb
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Because if Vitello can’t handle a simple case of a star player forgetting the outs at a critical juncture of the game against an archrival, who is to say what will be accepted next for a team that’s already flirting with effective playoff elimination?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
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Disney, which was in the process of buying ABC, was also flirting with launching a news network.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Over her six years with the family, Suzy became a mascot for pet adoption, traveling with her owners to schools to meet children and helping to get hundreds of animals adopted.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
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Prosecutors allege Delgado used other people’s money to live a high life — traveling in private jets, driving Lamborghinis and buying flashy watches and jewelry and high-end homes.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Marcus tries to balance pushing Nick to keep playing while knowing his older brother has to do what’s best for him and his family.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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Things get clubbier in the basement Music Room, all red velvet with an indoor-outdoor bar for smokers and a modelesque DJ playing pumping house on our visit.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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For background, the usual race idolaters expressed fierce outrage over Clark associating with Wallen, who once used a racial slur in 2021.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
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Harvard University’s president and four other administrators formed what became known as the Secret Court to investigate students suspected of being gay or associating with gay students.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The two wind up crossing paths again and hooking up much more intensely, in a sweaty and passionate bout of lovemaking that sets the stage for a true romance.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
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This is one of the league’s best coaches and one of the league’s most prominent reporters hooking up for at least six years.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In Nebraska, Dan Osborn, a veteran and a former union leader at a Kellogg’s plant, is running as an independent.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Jules is the gatekeeper of Briar gossip, running the Fifth Line social media account.—
Jennifer McClellan,
USA Today,
17 May 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 23 May. 2026.
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