1
as in to horse 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 to play
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool around
Why fool around with a convention that everyone understood and practiced?
—
Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Those who crave the thrill of a victory may embody the competitor.
Bigger, bolder personalities may shine as jokers, always fooling around, or as storytellers, bringing imagination to life.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
Louie's owner's TikTok account is full of the dog up to mischief, digging in the garden with his owner, watching TV, playing fetch, fooling around in the snow, and undergoing training.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Those who crave the thrill of a victory may embody the competitor.
Bigger, bolder personalities may shine as jokers, always fooling around, or as storytellers, bringing imagination to life.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 23 Feb. 2025
While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
Louie's owner's TikTok account is full of the dog up to mischief, digging in the garden with his owner, watching TV, playing fetch, fooling around in the snow, and undergoing training.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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Quit horsing around — the Clydesdales are back!—
Breanne L. Heldman,
People.com,
10 Feb. 2025
-
In the video, Payne is shown horsing around with a large outdoor crowd and his bandmates, encouraging the fans to quiet their screaming and then raise the volume all the way back up.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Up in Scotland, meanwhile, marbles were lost as Rangers, who played most of the match with 10 men after an early red card for defender Robin Propper, hung on through a goalless battle with Athletic Club.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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Whitaker is played by Gerran Howell, who carried the title role on the CBBC's Young Dracula (2006–2014) before appearing on NBC's Emerald City (2017) and Hulu's adaptation of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (2019).—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Consider cutting up their food or serving easy-to-eat foods like smoothies.—
Smita Patel,
Verywell Health,
15 Apr. 2025
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Skrillex has never restricted his distension of sonic materials to merely supersizing his bass lines, and among other things, the voices on this album are routinely phased and retuned and cut up.—
Michaelangelo Matos,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The trailer shows off stunts that seem to top the death-defying moves Cruise has become known for.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2025
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During the broadcast, Ripa also showed off a photo that didn't make the cut.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Body gua shas typically feature more intense angles and ridges—perfect for regular maintenance and post-strain relief alike (that last Pilates class was not messing around).—
Allure,
Allure,
14 Apr. 2025
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Taking out this lab could be like taking out Professor Charles Xavier of the X-men and then messing around with Cerebro.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 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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Is his palm injury acting up again, or the pressure to join the elite company of Jack Nicklaus, who won 3 times at The PLAYERS Championship?—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
16 Mar. 2025
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Clarke Schmidt’s back acted up, and then his shoulder.—
Brendan Kuty,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When Alison Krauss was kicking around ideas on what to name her latest album with Union Station, the eureka moment came while on the phone with a friend, who just happened to be on their way to play a church gig in a tiny Louisiana town called Arcadia.—
Garret K. Woodward,
Rolling Stone,
30 Mar. 2025
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The Barnes & Noble move to Palms with a modern store design comes as the chain is on an expansion kick around the country.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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