Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mess about

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.56 in modern English

Syllables: mess about
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Intransitive verb

verb

To be in a casual non-committal relationship

Intransitive verb

verb

To play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person).

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Kids! Stop messing about and do your work!"
"Anna and I are just messing about; this isn't going to last."
"Stop messing me about and give me a straight answer!"

Usage

Inflected Forms

messes about (present, singular) messing about (participle, present) messed about (participle, past) messed about (past)

Phrases

messer-abouter

Synonyms

mess around loiter lounge footle lollygag loaf lallygag hang around tarry linger lurk mill about

Questions

What does mess about mean?: To misbehave

How to pronounce mess about

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mess about”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mess about”.
Repeat and practice — Say “mess about” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.