1
as in horsed 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 played
to spend time in aimless activity
we fooled around outdoors for a while, then went in to get some work done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of fooled around
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
Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fooled around
Verb
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Takaoka played a long arcing ball-ahead to Ocampo, who avoided goalkeeper James Pantemis — who had charged off his line — and rolled a shot from the edge of the penalty area inside the back post and into a wide-open net.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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The Current’s still one of the most talented teams in the league, boasting such USWNT veterans as Cooper, Sentnor and LaBonta, along with women who’ve played for other countries — Lorena and midfielder Rocky Rodriguez (Costa Rica), for instance.—
PJ Green
April 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Sunday, with her lip cut up and puffy, Barber thanked Grasso for the rematch.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
31 Mar. 2026
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Or mixed up the sausage filling and Justin’s potato into a kind of hash brown patty, fried them off like Brittany did with the livermush crostini last week, cut up the collard greens into ribbons, and put that on top of the potato and pork?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Lancers showed off outstanding pitching, starting with Gary Morse striking out 16 in their opener.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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UConn’s Chris Freeman showed off an NFL-caliber leg, kicking a 65-yard field goal.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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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And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
7 Dec. 2025
Verb
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People were kicked around in the pit, pancaked at the front of the stage, and the crowd surfing had a 90% fail rate.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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The bestselling novelist specializes in women who have been kicked around by life.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fooled around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fooled%20around. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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