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
Interestingly, in the language of the Inupiat tribe of Alaska’s north slope, there’s no messing around with spring.
—
Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Sean Keeler, columnist: The Broncos needed a franchise QB last year, and didn’t mess around.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
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, 14 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Sean Keeler, columnist: The Broncos needed a franchise QB last year, and didn’t mess around.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
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, 14 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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Baty plays second base on days when Vientos starts at the hot corner, and Vientos gets DH days to get Baty at third.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
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Both Earps and Hampton have played a very similar number of minutes and faced a very similar number of shots, but Earps’ shot-stopping has not been as strong, conceding 1.6 goals more than expected, based on the quality of shots faced.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting, while Tyrese Haliburton flirted with a triple-double with 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting, eight rebounds and 11 assists.—
Peter Sblendorio,
Hartford Courant,
24 May 2025
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Cameron flirted with a no-hitter in his first start and made MLB history with his numbers through two.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2025
Verb
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The ban, which goes into effect on Monday, bars travel to the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.—
Hamed Aleaziz,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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With a robust slate, strategic partnerships, and international ambitions, the production house is betting big on content that travels — whether vertically on mobile screens or globally across borders.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 June 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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DuckDuckGo, for instance, was already blocking domains and IP addresses associated with the trackers, preventing the browser from sending any identifiers to Meta.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
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Proteinuria associated with kidney disease may also require the restriction of dietary sodium (salt) below the 2,300 mg recommended daily for healthy adults.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Bennet, who is now running for governor, and Tester largely ignored the protesters, who interjected throughout the event, as they were escorted out or asked by security not to disrupt.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
29 May 2025
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By day, Chloe is running a women’s magazine, and Adam works at a tony law firm.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
29 May 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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If Korda happens to bond with his offspring, that’s a bonus.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2025
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The two are bonded forever, use catchphrases to communicate and care intensely about each other.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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