mess around

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as in to flirt
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun a guy who goes to the health club mainly to mess around with the women

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mess around Lucia swindles Albie as revenge for getting messed around, while Mia earns respect via her singing. Griff Griffin, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 The machine also converts into a handheld vacuum to clean quick messes around the house and in the car. Staff Author, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025 Robert Pattinson is well known for messing around with the press and telling lies in his interviews, but even he was caught off guard recently while rewatching a television interview from 2011. Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Dec. 2024 Then tackle quick messes around the house and in the car with this handheld vacuum that’s slashed by 76 percent. Isabel Garcia, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
  • Players who for years were starved for the chance to play meaningful games on behalf of their country now would be able to face-off for international bragging rights.
    Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Vaccination rates might also be playing a role, Brull said.
    Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The 29-year-old has flirted with the number for a couple of seasons but just felt short.
    Tom Rende, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
  • On Valentine’s Day, the S & P 500 even flirted with a fresh all-time high before ending Friday’s session with a tiny loss.
    Kevin Stankiewicz,Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • That includes parents who want some time to themselves or guests traveling without kids.
    Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2025
  • The power-sapping safety measure was first installed after Bobby Allison’s car, traveling at 210 mph, went airborne and tore through the catchfence at Talladega Superspeedway in 1987.
    Mark Long, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • While Mark and Helly were fooling around, Helly wasn’t fulfilling her promise to go get the directions Irving left tucked behind Dylan’s motivational poster.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Louie's owner's TikTok account is full of the dog up to mischief, digging in the garden with his owner, watching TV, playing fetch, fooling around in the snow, and undergoing training.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Representatives of the present-day Stonewall Inn, which is part of the national monument, and the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, a nonprofit organization associated with the historic bar, expressed outrage over the changes.
    Susan Haigh, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
  • Gravitational lensing becomes useful to planet-hunters when planets pass background stars not associated with them.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The charge in Valparaiso wasn’t the first time Perryman had run afoul of the law, according to two documents The Post-Tribune received Friday evening.
    Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
  • Later, the Vice President met with Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany’s nationalist AfD party, some of whose officials have downplayed the Holocaust and embraced Nazi rhetoric, and which has run second in pre-election polling.
    Massimo Calabresi/Dachau, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025
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
  • Aside from driving lessons, the father-son duo enjoys bonding over golf.
    Katie Mannion, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025
  • After their new arena opened in 2002, the rodeo trip became an opportunity for bonding through adversity.
    Mike Monroe, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20around. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

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