PLAYING (AROUND) Synonyms: 16 Similar Words

playing (around)

verb

present participle of play (around)

as in fooling around

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing (around)

Verb

Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.

— Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

Definition of fooling around

Verb

In a dash camera video shared by police, an officer can be seen stepping out quickly from a patrol vehicle as Ross was seen running in the street.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026
Videos on the nonprofit’s website show children stepping out of luxury buses, walking between camp volunteers who welcome them with applause and cheers.

— Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of stepping out

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playing

playing (around)

playing ball

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“Playing (around).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20%28around%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of playing (around)

verb

Example Sentences

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