POTTERING (AROUND) Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

pottering (around)

verb

present participle of potter (around)

as in fiddling (around)

to spend time in aimless activity pottering around indoors on a rainy day

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for pottering (around)

Verb

Rather than playing as two traditional wingers, in this moment, both players were on the left flank.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Rumors have circulated that Stan may be playing Harvey Dent, the district attorney who eventually becomes the villainous Two-Face and was previously portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, and Billy Dee Williams.

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of playing

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

Both of France’s sons seem to appreciate imaginative play over messing around with action figures, something that makes perfect sense given France’s own love for the arts.

— Marah Eakin, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Take note at the point in a song when the real dancers stop messing around.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of messing around

Verb

President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.

— USA Today, USA Today, 17 June 2026
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

Definition of hanging about

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potteries

pottering (around)

potters (around)

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“Pottering (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pottering%20%28around%29. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pottering (around)

verb

Example Sentences

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