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.
While messing around in camp, the reactive lighting mode was annoying to me. Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024 Kittle didn’t mess around on National Tight Ends Day, catching 6 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024 The results are often imperfect, but since the camera is digital, a photographer can mess around and get instant gratification. Brendan Nystedt, WIRED, 27 Nov. 2024 Due to various issues, this was messed around with at release, and the fourth episode was given a new dub with David Hayter of Metal Gear Solid fame voicing Isamu. Ollie Barder, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near mess around

Cite this Entry

“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20around. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on mess around

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