fool around
verb
variants
or chiefly British fool about
fooled around; fooling around; fools around
1
: to behave in a way that is not very serious
When it comes to safety, we don't fool around.
often, specifically
: to spend time idly, aimlessly, or frivolously
Later in the day, the three of us were fooling around, waiting for Mr. Michaels to get class started. —
Marilyn Reynolds
Marilyn Reynolds 2
: to engage in casual sexual activity
She found out that her partner had been fooling around on her. [=having sex with someone else]
see also fool around with
Synonyms
Examples of fool around in a Sentence
quit fooling around on the jungle gym, or you'll get hurt
we fooled around outdoors for a while, then went in to get some work done
Recent Examples on the Web
Players were in a dorm room fooling around with a gun.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Why fool around with a convention that everyone understood and practiced?
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Flashbacks peppered throughout the first several episodes reveal that Yasmin caught her father fooling around with a pregnant woman on the boat.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 16 Sep. 2024
What begins as an overstayed welcome between two new lovers — awkwardly fooling around in the path of a metaphysical apocalypse — blooms into a surreal, ever-scarier, and ever-changing look at the emotion of transhumanism.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool around 
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.
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2024
Why fool around with a convention that everyone understood and practiced?
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Flashbacks peppered throughout the first several episodes reveal that Yasmin caught her father fooling around with a pregnant woman on the boat.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 16 Sep. 2024
What begins as an overstayed welcome between two new lovers — awkwardly fooling around in the path of a metaphysical apocalypse — blooms into a surreal, ever-scarier, and ever-changing look at the emotion of transhumanism.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool around
Dictionary Entries Near fool around
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fool%20around. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share