1
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 mess around
No more messing around with dials or having to adjust sound levels, for example.
—
Eric Hutto, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Not messing around, the company hires Zora (Scarlett Johansson), an experienced soldier of fortune, to lead a team that also includes fellow mercenary Duncan (Mahershala Ali) and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 July 2025
The track and field season is in full swing, and with an important juncture coming – the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in July – Lyles doesn’t really have time to mess around.
—Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Wilson’s ambition, however, was undercut by intensifying, untreated mental illness as well as by drug use (including hashish and amphetamines) and pressure from the other Beach Boys and the group’s label, Capitol, to stop messing around and start cranking out hits.
—Jason Fine, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Eric Hutto, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Not messing around, the company hires Zora (Scarlett Johansson), an experienced soldier of fortune, to lead a team that also includes fellow mercenary Duncan (Mahershala Ali) and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 July 2025
The track and field season is in full swing, and with an important juncture coming – the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in July – Lyles doesn’t really have time to mess around.
—Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Wilson’s ambition, however, was undercut by intensifying, untreated mental illness as well as by drug use (including hashish and amphetamines) and pressure from the other Beach Boys and the group’s label, Capitol, to stop messing around and start cranking out hits.
—Jason Fine, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
-
Hamill plays a man only known as the Major, the military commander who oversees the Walk and gives the walkers their literal marching orders.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
26 July 2025
-
Binaural beats are an auditory illusion created when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played separately into each ear at the same time.—
Noma Nazish,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
-
The just as playful music video shows both artists annoyed with each other (but also flirting) during a TV interview.—
Jessica Roiz,
Billboard,
25 July 2025
-
Rae flirts with the lens, before the clip cuts to Sombr driving a classic car.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
It’s thought that Netanyahu may travel to New York in September, prior to the mayoral election, to speak at the U.N. General Assembly’s world leaders meeting.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
22 July 2025
-
Over the water, the crucial news traveled that entire night in the form of questions and answers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Those have come from two players: Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres, who throws an odd knuckleball-changeup hybrid about 1 percent of the time, and Jonah Bride of the Minnesota Twins, an infielder fooling around with the knuckler in blowouts.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
-
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
-
That's in addition to the payments the city still has to make to pay off debt associated with the arena.—
John Tuohy,
IndyStar,
22 July 2025
-
Showers and thunderstorms associated with a small area of low pressure located about 900 miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles have increased some during the past several hours.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Hardie™ Designer, powered by Hover®, takes that idea and runs with it, allowing users to experiment with various siding options and, once satisfied, provide a clear vision to their contractors. 6.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 July 2025
-
After moving to London to live with his youngest son, Singh joined a community of runners and ran his first marathon in 2000.—
Natasha Dye,
People.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
Sizes Tablecloths should hang about 8-16 inches on each side for formal dining and about 3-6 inches on each side for casual dining.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
10 June 2025
-
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
-
Jackson bonded with Ballard as both of them grew up in the Atlanta area.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
13 July 2025
-
Sharpe bonded with the character, Felix, in Dunham’s scripts and worked with Felber to write his character’s songs on the show.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share