messed around

verb

past tense of mess around
1
as in played
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 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of messed around Dragstrem, who focuses more on production, has messed around with it but was left unsatisfied; McGill, who’s more lyrics-driven, wants nothing to do with the tech. — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 30 May 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed around
  1. played
  2. flirted
  3. associated
  4. fooled around
  5. traveled
  6. kicked around
  7. connected
  8. hooked up
Verb
  • Kelce played a bully of a restaurant manager who fires a busboy (played by Bad Bunny).
    — Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • She has been featured in various TV shows, including an English show called Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), and played Desdemona in Broadway’s Othello before retiring in the early 1980s, per the Walt Disney Archives.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026
Definition of played
Verb
  • The most recent season also revealed that Wilson flirted with Miller throughout the summer, raising her hopes for a possible reconciliation, only to hook up with her best friend months later.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 July 2026
  • The stock's trading just under $200, a level it's flirted with since late last month, down 17% from its May record and up just 4% on the year, as investors have turned their attention to other AI components, like the memory-makers.
    — Oliver Renick, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Definition of flirted
Verb
  • Typically, El Niño is associated with wetter-than-normal conditions during the winter in Southern California.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • By triggering the release of a natural growth factor in the brain and modulating neural pathways associated with addiction and reward, ibogaine restores healthy dopamine function and reduces cravings, Barsuglia said.
    — Gavin Escott, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of associated
Verb
  • 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
Definition of fooled around
Verb
  • The Royals allowed three runs on a baseball that traveled all of 39 feet and made three throwing errors on one play.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • The Kansas City Royals committed three errors on one Carson Benge comebacker in the first inning at Citi Field on Tuesday night, turning a ball that traveled maybe 50 feet into three New York Mets runs.
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of traveled
Verb
  • No balls were kicked around, but a first impression was made about a pitch that’s cropped tighter than a Pebble Beach fairway yet in impressive shape after four games over 11 days.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • Near a door leading to a loading dock, a group of players on the host Vegas Golden Knights — including forward Mitch Marner, who went on to score a regulation hat trick in a 5-4 win — stood in a circle and kicked around a soccer ball.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of kicked around
Verb
  • A-list musicians, celebrities, sports players, and Hollywood stars made up the 1,000-person guest list, proving just how connected the superstar and NFL player are in their respective circles.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2026
  • Hunt withdrew a previous endorsement of Platner after the Times story last month and was connected with Racicot soon afterward to offer her support.
    — Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of connected
Verb
  • Hernandez also hooked up with Airbnb for a hilarious World Cup collaboration.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • The Elora electrical system is built atop a 5-kWh EcoFlow battery hooked up to EcoFLow's 5-in-1 PowerHub with inverter and 200 watts of solar charging.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 July 2026
Definition of hooked up

Browse Nearby Words

messed
messed around
messed over
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Cite this Entry

“Messed around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20around. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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