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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fool around
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
Why fool around with a convention that everyone understood and practiced?
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Flashbacks peppered throughout the first several episodes reveal that Yasmin caught her father fooling around with a pregnant woman on the boat.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 16 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fool around
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
Why fool around with a convention that everyone understood and practiced?
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 7 Oct. 2024
Flashbacks peppered throughout the first several episodes reveal that Yasmin caught her father fooling around with a pregnant woman on the boat.
—Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 16 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fool around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fool around
Verb
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Elsewhere, two boys, Frank and Alain, get up to assorted mischief, sneaking onto a baseball diamond at night or horsing around on railroad tracks, although there are hints that Frank’s family may leave Cuba soon.—
Ben Kenigsberg,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
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In the video, Payne is shown horsing around with a large outdoor crowd and his bandmates, encouraging the fans to quiet their screaming and then raise the volume all the way back up.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA TODAY,
3 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Engage Your Senses In a shared office environment, playing loud music or lighting a scented candle is frowned upon.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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The Rebellion Is Here Moss, who stars, executive produces and directs on the series, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the emotional impact of becoming a mother herself before playing June one last time for The Handmaid’s Tale.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Customers who attended the events were among the first to pick up the new Model Y. Prior-generation Model Y inventory gets big price cuts up to $6,900 Some of the prior-generation Model Y on the inventory page are discounted between $3,000 and $7,000.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
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Speaking as someone who is just as likely to slice up his fingers as cut a cucumber into thin, appetizing slices, a vegetable chopper can remove the work (and pain) that goes into cutting up vegetables, fruits and other foods.—
Ho Lin,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Joe Jonas‘ upcoming solo album is officially arriving on May 23, as revealed in an Instagram video the superstar shared on Wednesday (March 26) showing off the vinyl edition of the project.—
Rania Aniftos,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
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Some eagle-eyed viewers noticed the Duchess’s whimsical gardening gloves amongst the flowers and wicker baskets, and what was once just another planting tool is now an opportunity to show off your style.—
Nora Taylor,
Architectural Digest,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For quick messes around the house and in the car, opt for this handheld vacuum with more than 70,600 five-star ratings.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
21 Mar. 2025
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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
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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The sisters may have spent weeks teasing the first single off their new album through several funny little videos and familiar-looking album art, but the tell-tale sign of new Haim music is when the weather gets good and people feel like acting up.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2025
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In recent weeks, we are told that Phillips has at points been acting up for Moore after Moore broke her ankle while skiing, and she is understood to have been dipping her toe into drama.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But much of the NL Central seems stagnant, the NL West has the Colorado Rockies to kick around, and the NL East can manhandle the Miami Marlins.—
Chad Jennings,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
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After breakfast, Rick and Amrita bid each other fond adieu, but that man is still kicking around Samui.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fool around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fool%20around. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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