mess about
verb
messed about; messing about; messes about
British, informal
1
: to spend time doing things that are not useful or serious : to waste time
We just messed about all afternoon.
She spent the evening messing about on the computer.
It's time we stopped messing about and got busy.
2
: to have sex with someone who is not one's husband, wife, or regular partner
His wife discovered that he was messing about (on her).
—often + withHer husband discovered that she was messing about with her assistant.
Examples of mess about in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Blue whales glide through these seas late summer through fall, while orcas mess about mid-April through mid-May, and then again in August through October.
—
Alanna Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
The other kids would run off, messing about, once their game was over.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
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Alanna Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Apr. 2026
The other kids would run off, messing about, once their game was over.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mess about.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20about. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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