# mess around

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

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

## Definition

to behave in a silly way or spend time doing things that are not useful. You use this when someone is playing instead of working.

For teachers: To behave in a frivolous or playful manner; to engage in aimless activity. The verb is primarily intransitive, though it often takes the preposition 'with' when an object is involved.

## Examples

- Stop messing around and finish your dinner.
- The students were messing around at the back of the classroom until the teacher told them to sit down.
- While the engineers were messing around with the prototype's aesthetic features, they inadvertently overlooked a fundamental flaw in the structural integrity of the chassis.

## Pitfalls

- Not "Don't mess around the settings." but "Don't mess around with the settings." — When the phrase involves an object being handled or changed, the preposition 'with' is required.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is informal and often carries a slightly negative tone of wasting time.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'mess up' (to ruin something) and 'mess with' (to annoy or interfere) to help students distinguish between these common 'mess' phrasal verbs.

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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.