as in fiddled (around)
to spend time in aimless activity
I spent all weekend at home just puttering around
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puttered (around)
Verb
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The smallest nation by size (171 square miles) and population — 158,000, or twice the size of Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity — stood with all fans as the national anthems for both teams played.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026 -
Dalal said their son played there daily with his friends, taking advantage of a club policy that allows children under five to enter without a membership.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Verb
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Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dragstrem, who focuses more on production, has messed around with it but was left unsatisfied; McGill, who’s more lyrics-driven, wants nothing to do with the tech.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
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In the email, Dixon suggested that the fire department employee may have messed around with the department's equipment.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Puttered (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puttered%20%28around%29. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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