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

Gilbert was raised in Coral Springs, Florida, playing in several bands before forming New Found Glory in 1997 with Jordan Pundik, Steve Klein, Ian Grushka and Joe Marino, who was quickly replaced by Cyrus Bolooki.

— Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Iamaleava looked much more comfortable and confident in the pocket, despite playing through multiple injuries.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 20 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

There will be no more messing around with draggy eye pencils or the emperor’s new eye shadows.

— Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026
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

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 26 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pottering (around)

verb

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