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
Morgan had been messing around with a curveball, but didn’t actually throw it until a workout at Petco Park a week before the draft.
—
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
The Italian heritage brand Frette does not mess around with luxury.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Soon afterward, however, at a Red Bull event in Austria, Goepper began messing around on a quarterpipe.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
The Italian heritage brand Frette does not mess around with luxury.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 7 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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Jack Plummer, who is now playing for the United Football League’s Orlando Storm, spent the bulk of the 2024 season on the practice squad as a third arm.—
Mike Kaye
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
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Emma D'Arcy landed an Emmy nomination playing an older version of Rhaenyra later in Season 1 and stayed the lead in Season 2, though Alcock also reprised her role as a guest star.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Saturday looks like the peak, with some eastern neighborhoods potentially flirting with 80 before the sea breeze starts pushing back in late.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
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With the 2028 presidential election inching closer every day, Don Lemon is the latest public figure to flirt with running for office.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Under-4s are also welcome to use the Kids Only facilities with adult supervision, and all kinds of baby products and equipment are provided so parents can travel light.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
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Police said it was believed the driver initiated the right turn and hit the bicyclist, a 69-year-old man from Joliet, believed to have been traveling eastbound on the sidewalk on the south side of West Jefferson Street and had entered the roadway to cross Springfield Avenue.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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And there’s this: No fooling around in mid-June and having a life event get in the way of the March Madness get-together nine months later.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This distinction was missing both from popular discourse, the academics felt, and from an influential definition of antisemitism associated with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which lists numerous examples of antisemitism related to criticism of Israel.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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Berseth did not respond to a phone message or to an email or letter sent to addresses apparently associated with her.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kansas City councilman Nathan Willett also filed to run for the seat after Graves’ announcement.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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Which is also super hazardous for someone in a massive suit running around [laughs].—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Though the sisters are supposedly first-generation Italian American, no whiff of the old country hangs about Kay; Dorothy will at least spit out a few words in Italian.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Back home, humans have bonded with aiyi, a species of near-omnipotent artificial intelligence that operates according to its own moral code.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
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The architect ultimately bonds with — and quickly becomes attracted to — his friend’s wife (Pamela Gidley), and as the two of them pursue their passions together, secrets from the architect’s past and family bubble to the surface.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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