fiddling (around)

verb

Definition of fiddling (around)next
present participle of fiddle (around)
as in goofing (around)
to spend time in aimless activity we spent the snow day just fiddling around

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fiddling (around)
  1. playing
  2. fooling around
  3. messing around
  4. hanging about
Verb
  • Bailey, for comparison, has a Fielding Run Value of +4 despite playing significantly more innings.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Then again for a referee assessor on March 14, 2012, while South Korea was playing Qatar in another Olympic qualifier.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of playing
Verb
  • Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.
    — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of fooling around
Verb
  • The buckle on the Jordan clogs is a great touch, and the arch support isn’t messing around.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The Chicago Cubs weren’t messing around at the trade deadline.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of messing around
Verb
  • President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.
    — Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Definition of hanging about
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fiddling
fiddling (around)
fiddling away
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fiddling (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fiddling%20%28around%29. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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