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.
Battle League launched a little bit light on content, with only a few stadiums to mess around with, simplified gameplay compared to past games in the series, and a small selection of characters. William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 In other words, let your ad creatives do the work of targeting for you rather than messing around with audience filters. Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 With floor-sweeping hems and bold colors, this season’s fashion isn’t messing around. Ola Rindal Delphine Danhier, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025 Not messing around with different formations and trying to be too smart like GoN was. Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 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

Cite this Entry

“Mess around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20around. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on mess around

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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