1
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to flirt
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
a guy who goes to the health club mainly to mess around with the women
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to travel
to come or be together as friends
if you continue to mess around with such narrow-minded boobs, you'll begin to think and act like them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 mess around
But why are the Browns even messing around with this stuff?
—
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Paddy: But not all of my dad's college years were about messing around.
—Outside Online, 11 June 2025
Check out Samsung brand reviews for more tech reviews that don’t mess around.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025
Nothing major, but enough messing around to worsen his problems.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Paddy: But not all of my dad's college years were about messing around.
—Outside Online, 11 June 2025
Check out Samsung brand reviews for more tech reviews that don’t mess around.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 10 June 2025
Nothing major, but enough messing around to worsen his problems.
—Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
-
Rookie Christian Moore has only played in 18 games, but has shown some flashes of brilliance, including a game-tying and then a game-winning home run against the Red Sox late last month.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
The Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays have played in minor league ballparks this season with all the accompanying financial and aesthetic problems.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
But going all day Tuesday and Wednesday is flirting with overkill and asking too much, even of the devout slackers.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
-
Donald Trump has flirted with the ideology, and his administration has hired multiple staffers who appear sympathetic to the white-nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes, a believer in race science.—
Ali Breland,
The Atlantic,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
In 2024, Orange County reported two unrelated cases: an infant returning home from international travel and an adult who traveled internationally.—
Lillian Ashworth,
Oc Register,
10 July 2025
-
Among those who have travelled are Max Purvis, Callum Edwards and Alex Moore, who won our academy player of the year award.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
Those have come from two players: Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres, who throws an odd knuckleball-changeup hybrid about 1 percent of the time, and Jonah Bride of the Minnesota Twins, an infielder fooling around with the knuckler in blowouts.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
-
As Molly and Guy start to fool around, things get hot and heavy, but Ernie has a job to do.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Line dances are generally associated with country music, but now creating line dances to pop songs is the new trend.—
Angelica Wells,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
-
Soliman also is associated with the Clifton Mosque and has led multiple services there, according to the mosque's website.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
The Enquirer,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
His installation is called The Jewel of Mayfair, and features a carpet that runs the length of the arcade, nearly 560 feet, featuring stones and designs from each chapter of his 50-year career.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
1 July 2025
-
The family at the heart of the story run a tourism business allowing Cappadocia to feature in a way that naturally chimes with the narrative, but the connection between landscape and plot runs far deeper, series director Murat Saraçoğlu says.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Sizes Tablecloths should hang about 8-16 inches on each side for formal dining and about 3-6 inches on each side for casual dining.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
10 June 2025
-
Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
While federal law doesn’t require employers to grant employees paid leave to deal with illnesses or family matters—such as bonding with a new baby—multiple states have passed their own laws to this effect in recent years.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
-
The two have also bonded about their Mexican-American heritage.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share