1
as in played
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flirted
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 associated
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of messed around
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
Adam Thompson, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed 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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Kelce has flirted with retirement the past two offseasons, but two straight disappointing finishes for the Chiefs may have played a role in his decision to come back one last time this fall.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
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Charlotte flirted with the team record for made three-pointers in a game Tuesday.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Such shifts, says Panofsky, are always associated with a transfer of artistic leadership to a new country or to a new discipline.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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But as lawmakers debate whether to regulate or ban kratom, public health problems associated with the drug continue to rise.—
Andrew Kolodny,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
Verb
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There were ten teen-agers who’d travelled from around the country with their dads.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The confirmation comes after there were conflicting totals due to victims having travelled to a hospital in private vehicles instead of in ambulances.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Intermediaries directly connected to, and in at least one case compensated by, Musk have circulated dozens of pages of detailed opposition research about Altman.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Snow crews with Keystone worked to keep terrain connected through the end of the season, despite limited snow.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On the day of our visit, the South Korean tanker SK Audace was loading cargo, hooked up to pipes so cold they were covered in a thick layer of frost despite the balmy bayou weather.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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That leisure battery is hooked up to a 650-W rooftop solar charging system to keep things running as long as possible.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In this technique, plants are suspended in air with a spray of water mixed with minerals applied to their roots every few seconds.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
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Officials contacted Maywood's water reclamation because chemicals in the building may have mixed with the water and entered the sewage.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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