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to mess around
01
to waste time or engage in idle, unproductive activity
Grammatical Information
Composition
phrasal
Action verb
Regular
Inseparable
Particle
around
Base verb
mess
Present tense
mess around
3rd person singular
messes around
Present participle
messing around
Past simple
messed around
Past participle
messed around
Examples
Instead of studying, he chose to mess around on social media for hours.
02
to cause problems for someone, especially by being dishonest or unfair
Examples
Be cautious with him; he tends to mess around with people's feelings.
03
to engage in playful or mischievous behavior, often in a way that is not intended to cause harm or offense
Examples
On weekends, they often mess around, joking and playing pranks on each other.
04
to engage in casual sexual activity with someone, often without commitment or emotional attachment
Examples
The friends decided to mess around after several drinks at the bar.
