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

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
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.
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 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 See all Example Sentences for mess around 

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mess around was in 1918

Dictionary Entries Near mess around

Cite this Entry

“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20around. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

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