1
as in fiddling (around)
to spend time in aimless activity
spent the vacation day just messing around
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flirting
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
3
as in travelling
to come or be together as friends
if you continue to mess around with such narrow-minded boobs, you'll begin to think and act like them
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of messing around
Around March, during a session with Allen and Slatkin, Maddell started messing around with chords to pair with an acoustic that Slatkin had at the ready.
—
Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing around
Verb
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Emmett was falsely accused of flirting and making advances at Bryant Donham.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
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Yet, for whatever reason, many Americans can’t stop flirting with pessimism.—
Norbert Michel,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Though his interests were that of a pretty typical child — computing and gaming, playing the saxophone, enjoying soccer and time with his pets — he was also known for his acts of kindness and generosity.—
Lauren Costantino
September 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Chiefs also were playing without rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals, who is recovering from an injury.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Things won't get any easier for Flacco next week with the Browns traveling to Baltimore to play the Ravens, who typically always have a top-10 caliber defense.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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In February, more than 40 people were killed in southern Mexico when a bus traveling to Tabasco from the tourist city of Cancun hit a trailer truck and caught fire.—
Lizbeth Diaz,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Gisin hopes that by fooling around with measurements of these more exotic states, physicists will come to better understand the role of measurement in general.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Commit to regularly offering valuable insights so people start recognizing your name and associating it with expertise.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Stories about vampires drinking young blood to maintain their youthful glow and ancient civilizations associating blood with having special powers have been circulating for a long time.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Another key play in the drive was Orion Suttle hooking up with Michael Hood for a 13-yard gain after completing only two of his previous 10 passes for 15 yards.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
30 Aug. 2025
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As such, those wishing to build up a portfolio of investment-grade coins is probably best off hooking up with an auction house.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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After a solid performance in the 2025 opener against Western Michigan, Chiles turned in a breakout performance in an overtime win against Boston College, passing for 231 yards and four touchdowns and running for another score.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Some long-running novelas will be made available on Disney+ either next day or within a month of airing on Atresmedia’s free-to-air channels.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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None is more important than what’s been kicking around for at least six decades, a project to bolster California’s north-to-south shipments of water by bypassing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Messing around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing%20around. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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