Phrasal verb
jack around
Definitions
01to waste time
phr.v. to spend time doing nothing useful or to be slow on purpose.
phr.v. to engage in idle or unproductive activity; to dawdle or procrastinate.
“Stop jacking around and help me finish this project before the deadline.”
“The crew spent most of the morning jacking around instead of unloading the truck, which put the entire delivery schedule behind.”
American English · Informal · Slang
Usage
Intransitive; does not take a direct object.
Teaching tip
This is very informal and primarily used in American English; it can sound slightly aggressive or frustrated depending on the tone.
Synonyms
02to behave silly or annoyingly
phr.v. to act in a silly way or to treat someone unfairly by changing your mind often.
phr.v. to behave in a disruptive, silly, or uncooperative manner; to treat someone with a lack of seriousness or respect.
“The kids were jacking around in the back of the car during the long trip.”
“The landlord kept jacking us around about the repairs, promising to show up but never actually arriving.”
American English · Informal · Slang
Usage
Can be used intransitively (to act silly) or transitively with 'around' (to treat someone unfairly).
Teaching tip
When used transitively ('jacking someone around'), it implies the subject is being dishonest or intentionally difficult.
Synonyms
Teaching tip
this is a more casual and slightly more aggressive alternative to 'mess around' or 'fool around'; it is common in North American speech.
Phrasal verb
Particles
around
Separability
optional
Pattern
jack + (object) + around
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/jack-around