fool around

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]

Example Sentences

He started fooling around with it and has been playing lacrosse ever since.

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What kind of bullpen fools around with an eight-run lead, as the Dodgers reliever did Tuesday night when threatening to ruin everything?

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Composers were fooling around with repetition, drones, tape loops and the like.

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Pashinyan has also attacked other senior clergymen, including accusing one archbishop of having an affair, with the extraordinary allegation of "fooling around" with his uncle's wife.

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They fooled around briefly with different group names and pop-rock styles until Dennis came up with the idea of doing a song about surfing.

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