"mess about" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "messes about",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messing about",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed about",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed about",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "mess about (third-person singular simple present messes about, present participle messing about, simple past and past participle messed about)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "57 32 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 27 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (about)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Kids! Stop messing about and do your work!"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To misbehave"
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_about-en-verb-7HoVO2o3",
      "links": [
        [
          "misbehave",
          "misbehave"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To misbehave"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Anna and I are just messing about; this isn't going to last."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be in a casual non-committal relationship"
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_about-en-verb-D5EhntS1",
      "links": [
        [
          "casual",
          "casual"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To be in a casual non-committal relationship"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 0 100",
          "word": "messer-abouter"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Stop messing me about and give me a straight answer!"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person)."
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_about-en-verb-ckFi0nmR",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person)."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "38 7 55",
          "sense": "all senses",
          "word": "mess around"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mess about"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (about)",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "messer-abouter"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "messes about",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messing about",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed about",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed about",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "mess about (third-person singular simple present messes about, present participle messing about, simple past and past participle messed about)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Kids! Stop messing about and do your work!"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To misbehave"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "misbehave",
          "misbehave"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To misbehave"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Anna and I are just messing about; this isn't going to last."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be in a casual non-committal relationship"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "casual",
          "casual"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive) To be in a casual non-committal relationship"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Stop messing me about and give me a straight answer!"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person)."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "all senses",
      "word": "mess around"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mess about"
}