mess around with (something)
idiom
informal
1
: to use or do (something) in a way that is not very serious
I'm not really a painter; I just like to mess around with paints.
She spent the evening messing around with the computer.
2
: to handle or play with (something) in a careless or foolish way
Stop messing around with the stereo.
Examples of mess around with (something) in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So for example Joule, our digital assistant, cannot mess around with compliance checks on travel and on sourcing, or on directing the flow of materials.
—
Tharin Pillay, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
The fastest foldable Samsung makes its own mobile processors, but when speed matters, the company doesn't mess around with Exynos.
—ArsTechnica, 31 July 2025
Apple doesn’t mess around with its Air lineup anymore.
—PC Magazine, 14 July 2025
Messing around with your hormone levels could mess around with a whole lot of other stuff.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around with (something)
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Tharin Pillay, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
The fastest foldable Samsung makes its own mobile processors, but when speed matters, the company doesn't mess around with Exynos.
—ArsTechnica, 31 July 2025
Apple doesn’t mess around with its Air lineup anymore.
—PC Magazine, 14 July 2025
Messing around with your hormone levels could mess around with a whole lot of other stuff.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around with (something)
Cite this Entry
“Mess around with (something).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20around%20with%20%28something%29. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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