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

b

: flirt, philander

Synonyms

• doodle
• fiddle (around)
• fool around
• fribble
• goof (around)
• hang about [British]
• kick around
• monkey (around)
• play
• potter (around)
• putter (around)
• trifle

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

No need to mess around with bug spray thanks to this tiny machine that takes just 15 minutes to reach maximum protection, can work for up to nine hours straight, and covers a field of 20 feet to shield you from those pesky bugs. —Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2024

Not only does the gin contribute pine notes that echo evergreens that blanket 40 percent of the state, but the cocktail is, like Alaska itself, both starkly gorgeous and not here to mess around. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2024

Daemon has spent several episodes (and some completely unknowable amount of in-world time) messing around at Harrenhal and taking whatever hallucinogens Alys Rivers slips into his tea. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2024

The talent deficiency allowed the 49ers to mess around (quite a lot) but win comfortably anyway. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1