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
Jesse Kardon has come a long way from his days as a teenager messing around with Ableton in his bedroom.
—
Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 11 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
Guerin has a history of going straight to his final offer — not messing around.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 6 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
No messing around — just wham, bam, thank you, GLAM!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 11 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
Guerin has a history of going straight to his final offer — not messing around.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 6 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
No messing around — just wham, bam, thank you, GLAM!
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing around
Verb
-
Mikey never ended up doing anything beyond flirting, but his unfortunate turn of phrase was all Sydney needed to begin exploring her options in the villa.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
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This could look like flirting with someone unexpectedly, diving into a passion project or deciding you’re done hiding in plain sight.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hungarians living near the southern frontier, where Orbán made a show of building a border fence during the refugee crisis, are travelling to Croatia to buy cheap groceries.—
Kapil Komireddi,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Thursday’s game is the second of the 76ers’ three-game trip and the first game of a back-to-back, with Philadelphia traveling to play the Indiana Pacers on Friday.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Tell me about playing the 9-year-old version of your character and the adult version.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Back healthy from her rehab, expectations are high for the Stanford standout, who also stayed busy during the offseason playing in the Unrivaled league.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 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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Hershey Foods, viewing Hersheypark as new and untested, did not want to risk visitors associating its brands with what could be a failing theme park.—
John Haddad,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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Her other daughter, Beatrice, is reportedly also choosing to focus on her family and would like to keep away from publicly associating with her parents.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The 458 Pro Campervan might be best thought of as a starter RV base vehicle, as Ari keeps focused on hooking up the basic essentials, leaving much of the conversion up to the customer.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Apr. 2026
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That was before rumors began circulating on social media that Batula had been hooking up with West Wilson, another cast member who dated Batula’s house bestie, Ciara Miller, in 2023.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Her car was parked nearby and the engine was running.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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In 2006, Lamont, fueled by his personal fortune and some savvy political advisers, visited local Democratic party committees and immersed himself in the drudgery of running a statewide campaign.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 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 16 Apr. 2026.
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