Mess about Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈmɛs/ /əˈbaʊt

MESS uh-BOWT

UK

mˈɛs/ /ɐbˈaʊt

MESS uh-BOWT

Definition

To behave in a silly way, waste time doing unimportant things, or play around instead of working or being serious.

Usage & Nuances

Informal, mainly British English. In American English, 'mess around' is more common. Used for wasting time, playful activity, or being unserious. Common with kids, friends, or when not focusing. Do not confuse with 'mess up' (to make a mistake).

• Spanish: hacer tonterías - perder el tiempo - jugar
• Portuguese (BR): fazer bagunça - brincar - enrolar
• Portuguese (PT): fazer asneiras - brincar - perder tempo
• Chinese (Simplified): 瞎折腾 - 闲混 - 玩耍
• Chinese (Traditional): 瞎折騰 - 閒混 - 玩耍
• Hindi: मस्ती करना - समय बर्बाद करना
• Arabic: يعبث - يضيع الوقت
• Bengali: আঁটসাঁট করা - দুষ্টুমি করা - অযথা সময় নষ্ট করা
• Russian: дурачиться - валять дурака - бездельничать
• Japanese: ふざける - いたずらをする
• Vietnamese: nghịch ngợm - làm việc linh tinh - lãng phí thời gian
• Korean: 장난치다 - 빈둥거리다
• Turkish: oyalanmak - vakit öldürmek - şakalaşmak
• Urdu: شرارت کرنا - فضول کام کرنا
• Indonesian: bermain-main - membuang-buang waktu

Example Sentences

Stop messing about and do your homework.

basic

The children like to mess about in the garden after school.

basic

He always messes about during meetings.

basic

We were just messing about, nothing serious.

natural

Don’t mess about with my phone, please.

natural

We spent the afternoon messing about by the river.

natural