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
Following the global success of The Housemaid, Lionsgate is not messing around with its upcoming sequel.
—
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
The Detroit Tigers didn’t mess around this winter, adding top starting pitcher Framber Valdez to pair with two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal atop the club’s rotation.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
So, get ready to travel to Sweden for a taste of adolescence full of smiles, tears, dancing, messing around – and skateboards.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Guerin has a history of going straight to his final offer — not messing around.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026
The Detroit Tigers didn’t mess around this winter, adding top starting pitcher Framber Valdez to pair with two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal atop the club’s rotation.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
So, get ready to travel to Sweden for a taste of adolescence full of smiles, tears, dancing, messing around – and skateboards.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
Guerin has a history of going straight to his final offer — not messing around.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
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That was the game Towns played.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Mia Arguelles, who typically plays midfielder, filled in at goalkeeper due to injuries and made two saves for Andrew (7-6-1, 3-2).—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At a lawn party devoted to the game of cornhole, Clark flirts with Floyd’s wife and the two soon begin an affair, meeting for afternoon assignations at the local Quality Garden Suites.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Rams have Matthew Stafford as their starter for 2026, but Stafford has flirted with the idea of retirement each of the past two offseasons.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The club travels to Portland on Wednesday night for a match against the second-place Thorns, the team that eliminated San Diego from last year’s playoffs.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Meanwhile, be aware that the next six years will bring urges to impulsively travel, and do exciting things to give yourself an adventurous world.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another horny couple on vacation couldn’t wait until their flight landed to fool around and insisted on doing so in the plane's cabin.—
Sean Joseph OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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And this fool is taking it with the fools around him.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In court filings associated with the case, attorneys representing UConn argued that the university had no duty to protect students at unsanctioned events.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
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That indirect pathway is fundamentally constrained by thermodynamic limits, particularly the Carnot efficiency ceiling associated with heat engines, which restricts how much of the fuel’s energy can be converted into usable electricity.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Knicks made life difficult for him in the halfcourt, and once that happened, Atlanta’s offense kept running into dead ends.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Funding to run the Orange Line 24 hours a day, one of the first major service improvements that acting CTA President Nora Leerhsen floated after lawmakers approved new transit funding last fall.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Though the sisters are supposedly first-generation Italian American, no whiff of the old country hangs about Kay; Dorothy will at least spit out a few words in Italian.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Turquoise pearl, and azure line the space, and a cylindrical hanging light sculpture made of hundreds of white and gold ceramic fish hangs about the lounge seating area.—
Kristin Braswell,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Both were booked Wednesday night into the Jefferson Parish Jail for security reasons and have since bonded out.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Musgraves and Lambert bonded over something else in their duet, beyond horse riding prowess and marital horror stories.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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