1
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to flirt
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
as in to travel
to come or be together as friends
if you continue to mess around with such narrow-minded boobs, you'll begin to think and act like them
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mess around
Between filming, the kids would mess around and explore the soundstages, playing capture the flag and hide-and-seek in the famed Chamber of Secrets and other notable locations on set.
—
Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 17 May 2025
Yeah, the team is old, and would have benefited from closing out the Rockets in five instead of messing around till Game 7.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 May 2025
Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska’s north slope, there’s no messing around with spring.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Sean Keeler, columnist: The Broncos needed a franchise QB last year, and didn’t mess around.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 17 May 2025
Yeah, the team is old, and would have benefited from closing out the Rockets in five instead of messing around till Game 7.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 May 2025
Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska’s north slope, there’s no messing around with spring.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Sean Keeler, columnist: The Broncos needed a franchise QB last year, and didn’t mess around.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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Sarah Snook, who played Shiv Roy on that HBO drama, was nominated (and went on to win!), following in the footsteps of her costars Jeremy Strong and Keiran Culkin.—
Melissa Locker,
Time,
9 June 2025
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Both of those stars are strong candidates to be world champions in the near future, and if WWE decides to play the waiting game, then Naomi’s Money in the Bank win could be saved for further down the road.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
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The Grove developer has been flirting with both a gubernatorial bid and another run at the Los Angeles mayor’s race but remains undecided.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2025
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Much older and experienced than a traditional expansion team, the Panthers flirted with the playoffs in their first two seasons before making it in their third.—
Jeff Kleinman,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The ban, which goes into effect on Monday, bars travel to the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.—
Hamed Aleaziz,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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With a robust slate, strategic partnerships, and international ambitions, the production house is betting big on content that travels — whether vertically on mobile screens or globally across borders.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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DuckDuckGo, for instance, was already blocking domains and IP addresses associated with the trackers, preventing the browser from sending any identifiers to Meta.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
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Proteinuria associated with kidney disease may also require the restriction of dietary sodium (salt) below the 2,300 mg recommended daily for healthy adults.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The state’s current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, can't run again after serving two terms.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
10 June 2025
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Owners will also be eligible for a dedicated driver development program, designed to optimize their driving ability and remove the stress of running track sessions.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
9 June 2025
Verb
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Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
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Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.—
Dana Taylor,
USA TODAY,
2 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Shared physical activities like cooking, working out or running errands together can be bonding experiences and feel more natural than just texting or talking.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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But few scholars have explored another trend: The growing number of people who’ve found that bonding with their pets becomes a spiritual experience.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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