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 All of this establishes that Frank Martin does not mess around. Mike Ryan, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025 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 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 See All Example Sentences for mess around
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess around
Verb
  • Whitaker is played by Gerran Howell, who carried the title role on the CBBC's Young Dracula (2006–2014) before appearing on NBC's Emerald City (2017) and Hulu's adaptation of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (2019).
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The trio finished with a 4-1 lead in shots and 10 hits between them while playing predominantly against the Stars’ second and fourth lines.
    Murat Ates, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Many White Lotus fans got an increasingly queasy feeling watching the siblings flirt with the boundaries of what is appropriate throughout the first half of Season 3.
    Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
  • After suffering two embarrassing losses to bottom-four teams each conference, the Knicks flirted with losing a third, blowing a substantial lead against the 15-win Wizards before pulling away with a 122-103 victory at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Yet, as so often happens in the sport, Estrada did not travel a straight line to big-league prosperity.
    Dennis Lin, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
  • The other travels out of Florida twice a year with her U.S.-born child who has a disability.
    Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As Molly and Guy start to fool around, things get hot and heavy, but Ernie has a job to do.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Plotwise, four teens who grew up with technology and like to fool around on their laptops invading various verboten sites and having a great time doing it one day happen upon a bright idea.
    Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Quina tools in Europe are specifically associated with Neanderthals—but Neanderthal remains have never been uncovered in East Asia.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
  • In traditional Eastern Medicine, cupping therapy is closely associated with acupuncture.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Drivers including Ken Miles, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Bob Bondurant, and Carroll Shelby have also run the course.
    Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Regardless of whether it is run by M+ or the HKMOA, transparency is important to both the art community and taxpayers.
    News Desk, Artforum, 10 Apr. 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
  • 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
Verb
  • Since birth, Tucker has been backstage bonding with his mother Mara, who has given birth twice previously.
    Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2025
  • And while Goofy is looking to bond with his son after Max gets into trouble at school, the latter just wants to get to Los Angeles to see his favorite rock star in concert to impress his school crush, Roxanne.
    Jen Juneau, People.com, 8 Apr. 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 18 Apr. 2025.

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