as in goofing (around)
to spend time in aimless activity
we spent the snow day just fiddling around
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddling (around)
Verb
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Marcus tries to balance pushing Nick to keep playing while knowing his older brother has to do what’s best for him and his family.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
21 May 2026 -
Things get clubbier in the basement Music Room, all red velvet with an indoor-outdoor bar for smokers and a modelesque DJ playing pumping house on our visit.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
Verb
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Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
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The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Winners Week 1 in primetime The schedule makers weren’t messing around with the opening week of games under the lights.—
Jeff Howe,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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All of our memories are traveling the world, messing around, having fun, and being teenagers.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.—
Elliott Harrell,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
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Orion Nebula Those viewing from a dark sky location may also notice a blurry patch of light hanging about 5 degrees below Orion's belt.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Fiddling (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling%20%28around%29. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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