screwing around

present participle of screw around
as in cheating
to be sexually unfaithful he hired a private detective because he thought his wife was screwing around

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of screwing around What if some big musician is screwing around at sound check and sings one of [Spinal Tap’s] songs. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwing around
Verb
  • But like his predecessor, this Frankenstein is just as obsessed with immortality and cheating death through science.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Gen Z is 'monkey barring' — not cheating.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • In an industry where one jaw-dropping look can help catapult you into fashion royalty and the wrong one into meme infamy, stepping out is a high-stakes business.
    Elycia Rubin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
  • In the footage, Officer Hunter Weaver is seen stepping out of his cruiser and twice ordering a man, later identified as Frank Mejia Aguilar, to show his hands, once using an expletive.
    Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Screwing around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwing%20around. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.

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