"mess around" meaning in English

See mess around in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-mess around.wav Forms: messes around [present, singular, third-person], messing around [participle, present], messed around [participle, past], messed around [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} mess around (third-person singular simple present messes around, present participle messing around, simple past and past participle messed around)
  1. (informal) To fiddle idly. Tags: informal Synonyms (all senses): mess about Synonyms (fiddle idly): faff about [British, idiomatic], dick around (english: American) [vulgar], waste time Related terms: mess with Translations (To fiddle idly, to waste time): stultumi (Esperanto), faire l’idiot (French), herumspielen (German), mahi āniwa (Maori), bałaganić [imperfective] (Polish), boludear (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-mess_around-en-verb-abDVAK1L Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "around", Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Maori translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Spanish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 58 4 38 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "around": 63 7 29 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 58 11 31 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 57 5 38 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 65 4 31 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 64 8 27 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 58 12 30 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 63 8 29 Disambiguation of Terms with Maori translations: 63 8 29 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 58 12 30 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 66 8 25 Disambiguation of 'all senses': 60 0 40 Disambiguation of 'fiddle idly': 99 0 1 Disambiguation of 'To fiddle idly, to waste time': 99 0 1
  2. (informal) To joke, kid, or play. Tags: informal
    Sense id: en-mess_around-en-verb-qHCBnbe3
  3. (informal) To have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-commital. Tags: informal Categories (topical): Sex
    Sense id: en-mess_around-en-verb-xrDqeLe9 Disambiguation of Sex: 18 0 82

Inflected forms

{
  "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": "58 4 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 7 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"around\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 11 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "57 5 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "65 4 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "64 8 27",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 12 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 8 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 8 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Maori translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 12 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "66 8 25",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The kids sat there messing around with leaves and blades of grass because they were bored.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "These guys don't mess around! They finished the whole job in ten minutes.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "id": "en-mess_around-en-verb-abDVAK1L",
      "links": [
        [
          "fiddle",
          "fiddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "word": "mess with"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "60 0 40",
          "sense": "all senses",
          "word": "mess about"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "sense": "fiddle idly",
          "tags": [
            "British",
            "idiomatic"
          ],
          "word": "faff about"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "english": "American",
          "sense": "fiddle idly",
          "tags": [
            "vulgar"
          ],
          "word": "dick around"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "sense": "fiddle idly",
          "word": "waste time"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "stultumi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "faire l’idiot"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "herumspielen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "word": "mahi āniwa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 0 1",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "To fiddle idly, to waste time",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "bałaganić"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 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.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Don't mess around with electricity if you don't understand it.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "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."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "18 0 82",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sex",
          "orig": "en:Sex",
          "parents": [
            "All topics",
            "Reproduction",
            "Fundamental",
            "Life",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Rumor has it that he's messing around with his secretary.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-mess around.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/57/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/57/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "mess around"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"around\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Maori translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "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",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The kids sat there messing around with leaves and blades of grass because they were bored.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "These guys don't mess around! They finished the whole job in ten minutes.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fiddle",
          "fiddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To fiddle idly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Hey, don't take it personally. I was only messing around.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Don't mess around with electricity if you don't understand it.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "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",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Rumor has it that he's messing around with his secretary.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-mess around.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/57/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/57/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-mess_around.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "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"
}

Download raw JSONL data for mess around meaning in English (4.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.