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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool around
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
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
See all Example Sentences for fool around 
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
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
See all Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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In the video, Payne is shown horsing around with a large outdoor crowd and his bandmates, encouraging the fans to quiet their screaming and then raise the volume all the way back up.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
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The unidentified pre-teen was horsing around and throwing snowballs in Connecticut’s capital city with an 11-year-old friend, local ABC affiliate WTNH reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Eagles and Chiefs played each other in the Super Bowl just two years ago, when both Jason, 37, and Travis, 35, competed with their respective teams in the 2023 game.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
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The Chiefs, who are going for their third championship in a row, will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.—
Neil Vigdor,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Police then went to English's car to search for additional destructive devices and found a 750-milliliter bottle of Smirnoff vodka as well as a gray sweatshirt that had been cut up.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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How cut up was John Bell and the whole team that day?—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Hannah Groth of Any Thyme Catering and her team show off one of their catering feats, a canoe filled with various snacks and bites to eat.—
Kendall Larson,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2025
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There are also plenty of Instagram-worthy cave rooms to show off to people back home.—
Megan duBois,
USA TODAY,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Grab this best-selling handheld vacuum from Black and Decker to tackle crumbs, dust, and more quick messes around the house.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
1 Jan. 2025
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The Los Angeles fires are similarly pouring smoke and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, with the local topography—mountains that trap haze in the Los Angeles Basin—keeping the mess around.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
10 Jan. 2025
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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Allergies acting up: Homeowners who are sensitive to dust, pollen, or animal hair may notice their allergies acting up before anything else.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
18 Jan. 2025
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As such, when a supporting character acts up, Dreux or Alyssa can rib them, but not too viciously.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Mystical foxes, the torches of gentle giants, spirits kicking around a walrus skull—humans have interpreted the northern lights in many ways over time.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
30 Dec. 2024
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The backstory: The idea has been kicking around Trumpworld for several months, as the transition considered structural changes at the White House to prioritize staffing for Trump's priorities.—
Mike Allen,
Axios,
26 Nov. 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 16 Feb. 2025.
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