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
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
Plotwise, four teens who grew up with technology and like to fool around on their laptops invading various verboten sites and having a great time doing it one day happen upon a bright idea.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Bigger, bolder personalities may shine as jokers, always fooling around, or as storytellers, bringing imagination to life.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Plotwise, four teens who grew up with technology and like to fool around on their laptops invading various verboten sites and having a great time doing it one day happen upon a bright idea.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Bigger, bolder personalities may shine as jokers, always fooling around, or as storytellers, bringing imagination to life.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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In April 2020, Iglesias shared a video of him horsing around with Lucy and Nicholas as the pair attempted to climb on his back for a ride.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
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At this point in time, my little AI company, a lean and mean group of passionate believers, is horsing around fine-tuning the product, living on a couple of angel investments, where a 10X return on few million dollars is very satisfying, not only to the angel, but also to the employees.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Before playing in the last four games, Reaves had missed the previous 19 with his calf injury.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Maldonado invited Jaquez to play, and after losing, Jaquez bought Maldonado drinks and returned to his friend group, according to the affidavit.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her voice is intimate and resonant, whether cut up into indistinct background flurries or pushed to the front of the mix.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Such a potato is cut up into sections, each having a sprout or two.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ashlyn, who will show off the back of her Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund and Emerging Designer Award wins; and Daniella Kallmeyer, who was nominated for the CFDA’s American Womenswear Designer of the Year.—
Hilary Milnes,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
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Take Danielle Deadwyler, known as a dramatic heavyweight in award-winning projects like Till and The Piano Lesson, who gets to show off her goofier side here as Dylan, a poetry professor who becomes a wary confidante of Greg’s — and often steals the show.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Italian heritage brand Frette does not mess around with luxury.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
7 Feb. 2026
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In the email, Dixon suggested that the fire department employee may have messed around with the department's equipment.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Turquoise pearl, and azure line the space, and a cylindrical hanging light sculpture made of hundreds of white and gold ceramic fish hangs about the lounge seating area.—
Kristin Braswell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
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The hot air just hangs about, causing the dish to cook unevenly with some spots nearly raw and others burnt.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Koutouvides transitioned to life after football, found success in real estate development throughout Connecticut, but the pain of losing the Super Bowl twinges and acts up like an old joint injury.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
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Likewise, when the young men started acting up, Josephine Holt took a keen interest in her newspaper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The group didn’t know much at all about golf course development, turning to Google and ChatGPT to figure out the footprint of an average golf course, and kicking around ideas amongst themselves about who to call about design and architecture.—
Erik Matuszewski,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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The Giants might even kick around the idea of signing Luis Arraez, a 28-year-old contact-hitting savant who is a defensive liability and hasn’t played second base full-time since 2023.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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