# goof around

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/goof-around
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to spend time behaving in a silly or lazy way, often to have fun or avoid work.

For teachers: to engage in frivolous or playful behavior; to waste time or act in a lighthearted, non-serious manner.

## Examples

- The kids are goofing around in the garden.
- Stop goofing around and finish your homework before your father gets home.
- While the manager was away at the conference, the junior staff spent most of the afternoon goofing around instead of filing the reports.

## Pitfalls

- Not "They were goofing around the work." but "They were goofing around at work." — this phrasal verb is usually intransitive; you do not goof around 'a thing', you goof around 'at' a place or 'with' someone.

## Usage notes

- highly informal and usually implies that the person should be doing something more productive.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'mess around' or 'fool around'; 'goof around' is specifically American in origin and carries a slightly more innocent, playful connotation.

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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.