mess about
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle about
Meanings
Spend time idly or playfully without serious purpose
British. Americans say mess around. Compare the regional counterpart.
Why “about”? Movement spreads in many directions, without one clear target.
“Stop messing about and finish your work.”
“The children messed about instead of packing for the trip.”
Don't confuse with
Mess about means spend time idly or playfully without serious purpose. Mess around means spend time in a careless or playful way.
Test yourself
“Stop messing about and finish your work.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
mess around
A contrast learners often mix up
Spend time in a careless or playful way; Treat someone unfairly or unreliably
fool about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Behave foolishly or waste time
fuss about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Move or worry busily without much purpose
get about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Move around or travel in general
hang about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Spend time waiting or loitering somewhere
knock about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Travel or move around in various places
lie about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Be left untidily in various places; Tell untruths concerning a subject
loaf about
Same about pattern: everywhere
Spend time idly without doing anything productive
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