# fool around

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fool-around
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to behave in a silly way instead of being serious, or to waste time when you have work to do. You might do this when you are bored at school.

For teachers: to engage in frivolous or aimless behavior; to act in a playful or irresponsible manner. The verb is intransitive in this sense but takes the preposition 'with' to indicate an object of play or a casual partner.

## Examples

- Stop fooling around and get back to work before the boss sees you.
- The manager warned the staff that there would be no more fooling around during the busy holiday season.
- Although the atmosphere in the lab was usually professional, the researchers occasionally found time to fool around between long stretches of data entry.

## Pitfalls

- Not "Don't fool around me while I am working." but "Don't fool around while I am working." — in the sense of behaving sillily, the verb is intransitive and cannot take a person as a direct object.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is informal and often carries a tone of mild disapproval from an authority figure.
- Teaching tip: Mention the euphemistic sexual meaning to adult learners so they are aware of the potential double entendre in romantic contexts.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.