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
  • Videos on the nonprofit’s website show children stepping out of luxury buses, walking between camp volunteers who welcome them with applause and cheers.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Playing (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20%28around%29. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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