as in to play
to spend time in aimless activity
we've been goofing around long enough; it's time to get some real work done
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goof (around)
Verb
-
One of the greatest of all time to play the position, one of the greatest players of all time.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
The Athletic,
28 Jan. 2025 -
Two years ago, the Eagles and the Chiefs faced off in Super Bowl LVII where Kansas City dramatically won on a field goal with eight seconds to play.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Oklahoma fooled around with Houston long enough to escape with a narrow 16-12 win.—
Chase Goodbread,
The Tennessean,
18 Sep. 2024
-
While the siblings have the habit of getting into troubles and to only use their creative skills to fool around, Michael sees in them a real talent.—
Maelle Beauget-Uhl,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The mess around Dani Olmo at Barcelona is piling pressure on club president Joan Laporta.—
Phil Hay,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near goof (around)
Cite this Entry
“Goof (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goof%20%28around%29. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share