play around
phrasal verb·2 senses·particle around
Meanings
Experiment in a casual way
Why “around”? Looking or trying around means checking many points before choosing one.
“Play around with the settings.”
“Play around with the colours before saving.”
“I've been playing around with the settings.”
Have casual romantic or sexual affairs
Why “around”? Wandering without direction. The path loops back without ever arriving.
“He's been playing around behind her back.”
“She found out he had been playing around.”
Don't confuse with
Play around means experiment in a casual way. Play back means replay a recording.
Test yourself
“Play around with the settings.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
play back
A contrast learners often mix up
Replay a recording
dick around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Waste time doing nothing useful (informal, sometimes rude)
fool around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Behave in a silly or playful way; Have casual romantic or sexual relationships
go around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Take a longer path to avoid something; Move in a circular path; Be enough for everyone in a group; Behave in a particular way habitually; (of an illness) be common in a community
hang around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Stay nearby without a purpose; Stay in a place without doing much; Spend time with a person or group regularly
lie around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Be left unused in plain sight
look around
Same around pattern: search
Glance in every direction; Move your eyes to look at all parts of a place; Visit a place to see what is there, especially before deciding to buy
lounge around
Same around pattern: no clear way
Pass time in a relaxed sprawl
Practice “play around” in Sink In
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