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
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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
Melinda Newman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwing around
Verb
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Contessa’s Corner Sports leagues, state gambling regulators and tribal leaders have all raised concerns that prediction market trades on sports don’t have the same level of guardrails as sportsbooks to protect against cheating by athletes, referees, coaches and other insiders.—
Alex Sherman,Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
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The predictions were that unleashing AI to the world at large would lead to an exponential rise in cheating at school and that student essays would cease to be original.—
Degen Pener,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nearly two years after a biking accident landed him in the hospital, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's son, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, is stepping out for a rare solo appearance.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
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More intricate and intentional with his choices, Adebayo color-matches to the occasion, stepping out in a monochrome look wearing Japanese label Seveskig in a distressed, striped long-sleeve polo, B1 Archival khakis, and Air Jordan SEs.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screwing around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwing%20around. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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