mess around

mess  (ms)

n.

1. A disorderly or dirty accumulation, heap, or jumble: left a mess in the yard.

2.

a. A cluttered, untidy, usually dirty condition: The kitchen was a mess.

b. A confused, troubling, or embarrassing condition; a muddle: With divorce and bankruptcy proceedings pending, his personal life was in a mess.

c. One that is in such a condition: clothes that were a mess after painting the ceiling; made a mess of their marriage.

3.

a. An amount of food, as for a meal, course, or dish: cooked up a mess of fish.

b. A serving of soft, semiliquid food: a mess of porridge.

4.

a. A group of people, usually soldiers or sailors, who regularly eat meals together.

b. Food or a meal served to such a group: took mess with the enlistees.

c. A mess hall.

v. messed, mess·ing, mess·es

v.tr.

1. To make disorderly or soiled; clutter or foul: a puppy that still messes the floor.

2. To botch; bungle.

v.intr.

1. To cause or make a mess.

2. To use or handle something carelessly; fiddle: messed with the blender until he broke it.

3. To intrude; interfere: messing in the neighbors' affairs.

4. To take a meal in a military mess.

Phrasal Verbs:

mess around Informal

1. To pass time in aimless puttering.

2. To associate casually or playfully: liked to mess around with pals on days off.

3. Informal To be sexually unfaithful.

mess up

1. Informal To make a mistake, especially from nervousness or confusion: messed up and dropped the ball.

2. Slang To beat up; manhandle: got messed up in a brawl.

---

[Middle English mes, course of a meal, food, group of people eating together, from Old French, from Late Latin missus, from Latin, past participle of mittere, to place.]

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

mess around - do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly; "The old lady is usually mucking about in her little house" monkey around, muck about, muck around, potter, tinker, monkey, putter puddle - mess around, as in a liquid or paste; "The children are having fun puddling in paint" work - exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"