fool around

Idioms  

1. Also, monkey around . Engage in idle or casual activity, putter. For example, Jim loved to fool around with his computer , or She was monkeying around with some figures in hopes of balancing the budget . [Second half of 1800s]

2. Engage in frivolous activity, waste time. For example, Instead of studying, he spends all his spare time fooling around . Also see fool away .

3. Engage in flirting or casual sexual acts; also, engage in adultery. For example, He caught the two teenagers fooling around in the basement . [1830s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fool around

"He'd fool around at the reception desk and would check patients in," he says.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

Chief among them is that Mother Nature didn’t fool around in 2023 — we have endured 25 natural disasters this year with individual price tags of more than $1 billion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

“I would just fool around on the instrument, getting used to the space and the sound,” he told Colorado Public Radio.

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

You don’t want to put yourself at risk of getting sick, so if you see a recall that involves salmonella or E. coli, don’t fool around: Toss the product or return it to the store.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 21, 2022

“I was jealous of him. He had you and Jem to himself all summer long, while I had to go home the day school was out. There was nobody at home to fool around with.”

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee