playing (around)

verb

present participle of play (around)
as in fooling around

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing (around)
  1. fooling around
  2. screwing around
  3. stepping out
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of fooling around
Verb
  • The informative thing was Lestat screwing around with me.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026
  • Mercedes is truly not screwing around with the new EQS.
    — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of screwing around
Verb
  • On May 18, Donike Gocaj, a resident of Briarcliff Manor in New York’s Westchester County, fell 10 feet into the open Con Edison manhole after stepping out of her parked SUV in midtown Manhattan, WABC reported.
    — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
  • Lena Dunham was spotted in the back of an SUV, while producer Jack Antonoff was photographed by paparazzi stepping out in an oversized black blazer and matching slacks.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of stepping out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

playing
playing (around)
playing ball
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Cite this Entry

“Playing (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20%28around%29. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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