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
b
: flirt, philander
Synonyms
- doodle
- fiddle (around)
- fool around
- fribble
- goof (around)
- hang about [British]
- kick around
- monkey (around)
- play
- potter (around)
- putter (around)
- trifle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
spent the vacation day just messing around a guy who goes to the health club mainly to mess around with the women
Word History
First Known Use
1918, in the meaning defined at sense 1
messed around
verb
1
as in fooled around
to spend time in aimless activity spent the vacation day just messing around Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- fooled around
- played
- hung about
- kicked around
- fribbled
- goofed (around)
- fiddled (around)
- doodled
- puttered (around)
- pottered (around)
- trifled
- monkeyed (around)
- horsed around
- hanged (around or out)
- lounged
- dillydallied
- idled
- dawdled
- hung (around or out)
- loafed
- clowned (around)
- tinkered
- lolled
- dallied
- diddled (with)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- settled (down)
- buckled (down)
- set (to)
- knuckled down
2
as in flirted
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
- flirted
- frivolled
- frivoled
- coquetted
- toyed
- strung along
- trifled
- put on
- vamped
- dallied
- wooed
- teased
- ribbed
- mashed
- led on
- fooled
- razzed
- courted
- manipulated
- played (with)
- kidded
- joshed
3
as in associated
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 Synonyms & Similar Words
- associated
- traveled
- run
- hooked up
- connected
- mixed
- ran
- joined
- related
- collaborated
- travelled
- bonded
- hanged (around or out)
- hung (around or out)
- mingled
- rubbed shoulders (with)
- rubbed elbows (with)
- palled (around)
- consociated
- fraternized
- befriended
- sorted
- took up with
- hobnobbed
- was friends with
- got along
- consorted
- fell in with
- chummed
- cooperated
- companied
- got on
- kept company (with)
- tied
- allied
- linked
- attached
- grouped
- affiliated
- rallied
- coupled
- knotted
- sided
- interrelated
- socialized
- clubbed
- colluded
- conjoined
- confederated
- teamed
- banded
- wed
- friended
- ganged
- wedded
- leagued
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- avoided
- split (up)
- shunned
- snubbed
- alienated
- broke up
- dispersed
- split
- estranged
- disbanded
- divorced
- cold-shouldered
- severed
- dissociated
- disunited
- sundered
- disjoined