1
as in to horse around
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
quit fooling around on the jungle gym, or you'll get hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
we fooled around outdoors for a while, then went in to get some work done
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool around
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.
—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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,
7 Feb. 2026
Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.
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Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.
—
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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,
7 Feb. 2026
Not too long ago, artificial intelligence was more or less a science project in which data scientists and developers fooled around with one-off small or test projects.
—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.
—
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.
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Ortiz navigated past 17 other horses around the final turn and made a hard charge down the stretch.
Verb
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Win prizes playing interactive games, network with artists and entrepreneurs and enjoy signature drinks and bar snacks available for purchase.
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Men leaders can pay attention to and be mindful of who in the workplace may be playing more of an emotional support role that falls outside their job description.
Verb
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Everything is cut up and put together through chance operations into what Cage called a Musicircus.
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During the matchup, Jeter dove into the stands in the top of the 12th inning to catch a foul ball, emerging from the crowd cut up and bruised.
Verb
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Kylian liked messing around, having a laugh and telling jokes — just like the rest of us.
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Dragstrem, who focuses more on production, has messed around with it but was left unsatisfied; McGill, who’s more lyrics-driven, wants nothing to do with the tech.
Verb
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On Monday, OpenAI will host its first-ever Cannes Lions event a few blocks away from the Palais where the awards are given, along the boulevard where the major tech players and ad holding companies have traditionally set up shop to show off to clients.
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The actress showed off micro bangs and a chin-grazing chop for her role as a manager.
Verb
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President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.
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On Monday, May 18, a 7%-illuminated crescent will hang about two degrees from Venus, with Jupiter about 20 degrees above.
Verb
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Currently, Screen Time often acts up and just cuts off access to all apps, whether it’s supposed to or not.
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Baye continued acting up until 2023.
Verb
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No balls were kicked around, but a first impression was made about a pitch that’s cropped tighter than a Pebble Beach fairway yet in impressive shape after four games over 11 days.
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Clear skies are in the forecast for the next few days as temperatures kick around the upper 90s.
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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