1
as in to horse around
to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior
quit fooling around on the jungle gym, or you'll get hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
we fooled around outdoors for a while, then went in to get some work done
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Recent Examples of fool around
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.
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Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
Having pretty well saturated the drone enthusiast market, from professional filmmakers to hobbyists who just likes to fool around with geeky gadgets, DJI are now going after a much bigger and potentially more profitable market.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
Down in the valley, Muriel skips work to fool around with her neighbor Sandra (Sasha Calle), a woman living openly as a lesbian despite the stigma.
—Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Of course, sometimes flirting or fooling around leads to more serious relationships.
—Katie Jackson, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool around 
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2024
Having pretty well saturated the drone enthusiast market, from professional filmmakers to hobbyists who just likes to fool around with geeky gadgets, DJI are now going after a much bigger and potentially more profitable market.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
Down in the valley, Muriel skips work to fool around with her neighbor Sandra (Sasha Calle), a woman living openly as a lesbian despite the stigma.
—Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Of course, sometimes flirting or fooling around leads to more serious relationships.
—Katie Jackson, Outside Online, 14 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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After five teenage boys are shown horsing around on a Malibu beach for a few seconds, the shot dissolves into Liam’s perfect coif, his unbuttoned shirt, his disarming smile.Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
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The Game of Thrones alum, 28, was seen horsing around with the British aristocrat at a polo match at his family's estate in West Sussex, England on Saturday, June 29.Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 3 July 2024
Verb
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In an earlier episode, the family’s patriarch, John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner, was murdered.Lisa Respers France, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
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The Braid, which for 17 years has featured Jewish stories through salons, play readings and more, now has a physical home on Ocean Boulevard in Santa Monica.Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Her legs were cut up by students at North Texas’ Health Science Center, an investigation revealed, and the ashes of her other remains were delivered to the Callas County medical examiner, NBC discovered.Sean Neumann, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
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Thirty-three years since its founder began cutting up fabrics in a pokey South London flat, the house of McQueen’s headquarters now inhabit a six-story, 30,000-square-foot building in London’s Clerkenwell.Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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At the October event, Tesla also showed off the Robovan, a low-clearance autonomous bus with an art deco design aesthetic.Lora Kolodny,Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2024
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In a sweet series of videos shared to his Instagram Stories, Harris showed off the family of four's dinner, which featured delicious-looking lamb chops, crabs, brussels sprouts, a mushroom tart and cheesy potato dauphinoise.Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Josh Heupel was on his way to messing around and finding out.Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 1 Dec. 2024
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While messing around in camp, the reactive lighting mode was annoying to me.Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Most asteroids hang about in the Mars to Jupiter region, and the ones near Earth obviously hang about a bit closer.Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
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The big picture: The nine-block shopping district got its own Art Deco-style sign on Monday, which now hangs about 25 feet in the air over Cary Street by Burtons Grill & Bar.Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
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At a group dinner, Benji begins acting up and acting out, eventually storming away — only to be heard playing the piano in the next room, and beautifully.Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024
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Exactly zero of the acts up for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, or Best Rock Album are first-time nominees.Justin Curto, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Multiple options are being kicked around among Trump allies to tighten the interpretation, keenly aware that any action would likely be legally challenged and eventually land before the Supreme Court.CNN.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2024
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College poohbahs have met in fancy hotel ballrooms and kicked around fines, suspensions, forfeits, banning offenders, etc.David Whitley, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near fool around
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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