messed around

past tense of mess around
1
2
as in flirted
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed around
Verb
  • Tewes, who had played cruise director Julie McCoy, since the series debuted in 1977, returned for a handful of episodes in the dramedy's final two seasons in 1986 and 1987.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
  • This came to a head for one of the show's stars, Lauren Tewes, who played cruise director Julie McCoy.
    Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Dick’s has flirted with same-day delivery before.
    Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Volar, a dating app that launched in late 2023, even let people train an AI version of themselves that flirted with someone else’s AI as a pre‑date screening, like two emissaries handling the small talk before the generals sit down.
    Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Port Washington project represents an over $15 billion investment by the three companies, according to the announcement, almost double Vantage's initial $8 billion price tag associated with just the first phase of development on 672 acres.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Kondo’s version is not necessarily religious, but does certainly come with some of the gravity associated with religion.
    Big Think, Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Twenty-four sides travelled to Chile for the latest edition of a tournament that has given rise to some of the finest players across the globe.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Many suburbanites would come to Philadelphia to do their holiday shopping, while others traveled to the city for the annual Army-Navy football game, according to Britannica.
    Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • That cost-cutting measure, which is common in other long-running shows, continued for the drama's 2025-26 season.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Trump made the announcement on Truth Social after the Canadian province of Ontario began running a television advertisement in the United States featuring a speech from former President Ronald Reagan.
    Steve Kopack, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The canal connected increasingly specialized regions in the early US, explains historian Roger Ransom.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Coming off of a Game 4 performance in the NLCS which still has baseball fans marveling, Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani connected on a two-run home run in the next half inning to cut into the Jays’ big lead.
    Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The club had kicked around the idea of Suárez and Nola sharing an outing, but it was made official on Monday night after a gut-wrenching Game 2 loss.
    Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Other ideas kicked around over the years have been subsidized housing or even returning it to its history of entertainment, as a high-end theater and performing arts academy.
    Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Her arm was hooked up to an IV with a pulse oximeter clipped to her fingertip.
    Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Jenny has hooked up with Jonah again after a long, unexplained absence, and his presence is the elephant in the room.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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