Pronunciation: /mɛs əˈraʊnd/
noun a state of confusion or disorder
A1 I don't like to mess around with my toys.
A2 The kids were making a mess around the house.
B1 I need to clean up the mess around the office.
B2 The party turned into a real mess around midnight.
C1 The CEO was not happy with the mess around the company's finances.
C2 The investigation revealed a huge mess around the corruption scandal.
verb to waste time or engage in aimless activity
A1 Please don't mess around with the buttons on the remote control.
A2 I like to mess around in the kitchen and try out new recipes.
B1 The boss told us not to mess around and get to work on the project.
B2 I can't believe you're still messing around with that old computer.
C1 The students were warned not to mess around during the exam.
C2 I don't have time to mess around with trivial matters, I need to focus on the big picture.
adverb in a careless or irresponsible manner
A1 I don't like to mess around with new technology.
A2 My little brother always messes around with his toys.
B1 Stop messing around and focus on your work.
B2 The students were messing around in the classroom, so the teacher had to intervene.
C1 I can't afford to mess around with my responsibilities at work.
C2 The CEO doesn't have time to mess around with trivial matters.
formal It is important to focus on your work and not mess around during office hours.
informal Let's not mess around and get this project done on time.
slang Stop messing around and start studying for your exams.
figurative Life is too short to mess around with things that don't matter.
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