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
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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
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Examples 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.
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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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Among racing’s many problems is that there are no dedicated air shipping companies that make moving horses around the country easy.John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2024
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Video went viral just days before the beginning of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Dujardin was seen repeatedly whipping a horse around its legs.Scott Thompson, Fox News, 5 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Osaka was better than Garcia, who was playing her first match after a three-month mental health break.Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 15 Jan. 2025
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There is no word whether the band, who is in the middle of a residency at Sphere in Las Vegas, will play the show.Melinda Newman, Billboard, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Contra Costa County Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority has asked its customers to cut up their trees and place them in the organics cart for a month-long effort to clean up Christmas trees.Chase Hunter, The Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2025
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At Dos Reales the process begins the night before when the pork and other ingredients are cut up and refrigerated overnight.Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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At camp, mom Paola showed off her ring with likenesses of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift on it.Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2025
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As the crowd clapped and music blared, Sabalenka overcame her embarrassment and showed off her dance moves before attempting to take a picture with her Polaroid camera, only to realise the film had run out.Issy Ronald, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Lucia swindles Albie as revenge for getting messed around, while Mia earns respect via her singing.Griff Griffin, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
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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
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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Urban Meyer is getting increasingly frustrated with him and other players acting up, to the point that the stress and increasingly long work hours are beginning to really affect his physical health.Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024
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At a group dinner, Benji begins acting up and acting out, eventually storming away — only to be heard playing the piano in the next room, and beautifully.Jenelle Riley, Variety, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Prescott is played by the ten-year-old Tom Sweet, a first-time actor who was spotted by casting agents while kicking around a soccer ball with his friends in London.Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
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The idea of a solid-state transformer has been kicking around in academia and industry for years.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 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 20 Jan. 2025.
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