mess about

verb

To misbehave

“Kids! Stop messing about and do your work!”

Similar
mess aroundloiterloungefootlelollygagloaflallygaghang around
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbmess about (third-person singular simple present messes about, present participle messing about, simple past and past participle messed about)

present singular third person messes about · participle present messing about · participle past messed about · past messed about

  1. intransitiveTo misbehave

    Kids! Stop messing about and do your work!

  2. intransitiveTo be in a casual non-committal relationship

    Anna and I are just messing about; this isn't going to last.

  3. transitiveTo play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person).

    Stop messing me about and give me a straight answer!

    Synonyms: mess around

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person).

Similar
mess around

More synonyms by meaning

verbbe about a place without any apparent purpose

Similar
loiterloungefootlelollygagloaflallygaghang aroundtarrylingerlurkmill aboutmill around
Broader
wait
Also see
act the goatact the jennetact the maggotclown arounddick aroundfaff aboutfootlefootle aboutfootle aroundfuck abouthang aroundlallygaglingerloafloiterlollygagloungelurkmess aroundmill aboutmill aroundmuck aboutpiss abouttarry

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

mess about. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mess%20about

MLA

“mess about.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mess%20about. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mess about,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mess%20about.

Source: mess about on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.