mess around

verb

messed around; messing around; messes around

intransitive verb

1
: to waste time : dawdle, idle
2
a
: associate
didn't mess around with gangs

Examples of mess around in a Sentence

spent the vacation day just messing around a guy who goes to the health club mainly to mess around with the women
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Not messing around with different formations and trying to be too smart like GoN was. Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025 The soap comes in a refillable EZ-Squeeze bottle that is cap-down (similar to Dawn Platinum), which contributes to less mess around the dispenser. Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2025 The boy rolled his eyes in boredom, and then began to mess around, putting his fingers in his dad’s ears as Musk struggled to listen to reporters’ questions. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 13 Feb. 2025 Instead, a show that wants to purposefully mess around with its own patterns also can’t help but fall back into some unfortunate old grooves. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mess around

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mess around was in 1918

Cite this Entry

“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20around. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on mess around

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