"mess around" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "messes around",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messing around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed around",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "mess around (third-person singular simple present messes around, present participle messing around, simple past and past participle messed around)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 10 36",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 11 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "61 13 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (around)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 9 35",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The kids sat there messing around with leaves and blades of grass because they were bored."
        },
        {
          "text": "These guys don't mess around! They finished the whole job in ten minutes."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_around-en-verb-abDVAK1L",
      "links": [
        [
          "fiddle",
          "fiddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "61 39 0",
          "word": "mess with"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "sense": "fiddle idly",
          "tags": [
            "British",
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "faff about"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "english": "American",
          "sense": "fiddle idly",
          "tags": [
            "vulgar"
          ],
          "word": "dick around"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "sense": "fiddle idly",
          "word": "waste time"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "stultumi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "faire l’idiot"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "herumspielen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "mahi āniwa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "bałaganić"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 0 1",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "boludear"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Hey, don't take it personally. I was only messing around."
        },
        {
          "text": "Don't mess around with electricity if you don't understand it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To joke, kid, or play."
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_around-en-verb-qHCBnbe3",
      "links": [
        [
          "joke",
          "joke"
        ],
        [
          "kid",
          "kid"
        ],
        [
          "play",
          "play"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To joke, kid, or play."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "22 61 17",
          "sense": "all senses",
          "word": "mess about"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "11 39 50",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sex",
          "orig": "en:Sex",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Reproduction",
            "Fundamental",
            "Life",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2016, Lucy Dacus (lyrics and music), “Troublemaker Doppelgänger”, in No Burden, Matador Records",
          "text": "She grew up as the pretty young thing / Let them look up her skirt on the backyard swing, oh no / And Daddy told you to stay indoors / And I can understand how a girl gets bored / Too old to play and too young to mess around",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "Rumor has it that he's messing around with his secretary."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-commital."
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_around-en-verb-xrDqeLe9",
      "links": [
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ],
        [
          "non-commital",
          "non-commital"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-commital."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "mess around"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (around)",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Sex"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "messes around",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messing around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed around",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "messed around",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "mess around (third-person singular simple present messes around, present participle messing around, simple past and past participle messed around)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "mess with"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The kids sat there messing around with leaves and blades of grass because they were bored."
        },
        {
          "text": "These guys don't mess around! They finished the whole job in ten minutes."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fiddle",
          "fiddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Hey, don't take it personally. I was only messing around."
        },
        {
          "text": "Don't mess around with electricity if you don't understand it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To joke, kid, or play."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "joke",
          "joke"
        ],
        [
          "kid",
          "kid"
        ],
        [
          "play",
          "play"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To joke, kid, or play."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2016, Lucy Dacus (lyrics and music), “Troublemaker Doppelgänger”, in No Burden, Matador Records",
          "text": "She grew up as the pretty young thing / Let them look up her skirt on the backyard swing, oh no / And Daddy told you to stay indoors / And I can understand how a girl gets bored / Too old to play and too young to mess around",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "text": "Rumor has it that he's messing around with his secretary."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-commital."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
          "relationship",
          "relationship"
        ],
        [
          "non-commital",
          "non-commital"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-commital."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "all senses",
      "word": "mess about"
    },
    {
      "sense": "fiddle idly",
      "tags": [
        "British",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "word": "faff about"
    },
    {
      "english": "American",
      "sense": "fiddle idly",
      "tags": [
        "vulgar"
      ],
      "word": "dick around"
    },
    {
      "sense": "fiddle idly",
      "word": "waste time"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
      "word": "stultumi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
      "word": "faire l’idiot"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
      "word": "herumspielen"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
      "word": "mahi āniwa"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "bałaganić"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
      "word": "boludear"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mess around"
}