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
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
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
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
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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Statewide, residential eviction filings were already flirting with state records by the end of last year.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
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Houston could tie or break a 40-year-old heat record Thursday, while parts of South Texas will be flirting with their first 100-degree day of the year.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Houston Chronicle,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This is a great pick for springtime strolls, when meeting up with a friend for a walk means traveling light.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
27 Feb. 2026
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Wingo added that the Owls were a traveling team that played a championship game in Portland, Oregon.—
Sarah Dewberry,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By July that year, Kelly, this time playing for England, famously scored that penalty against Spain in the Euros final, securing the Lionesses their second Euros title in a row.—
Kati Chitrakorn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Cross has not scored while playing eight minutes.—
Gary Bedore
March 4,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 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
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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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But for the most part, your brain gets used to it despite associating the aesthetic with chaos and momentum.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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After years of hooking up with colleagues and fighting for his friendship with McDreamy, Mark died early in season 9 from injuries sustained in a season 8 plane crash.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Feb. 2026
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Venus gets up on the bar and talks about his whole life story and coming out, which is sweet and all, but, girl, this is taking away from our drinking and hooking up time.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Key components include three simulation suites with a control room capable of running multiple scenarios simultaneously, five programmable manikins, multiple classrooms and flexible learning spaces, workrooms and an American Heart Association Training Center.—
Mark Mondier,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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Try a slower pace for the first hour, and notice how patience steadies your focus and keeps distractions from running the show.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 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 6 Mar. 2026.
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