fool around with

idiomatic phrase

variants or chiefly British fool about with

: to use or do (something) in a way that is not very serious

I'm not really a painter; I just like to fool around with paints.

: to handle or interact with (something) in a careless or foolish way : to meddle, tamper, or experiment with (something) especially thoughtlessly or ignorantly

Don't fool around with that drill.

: to have sex with (someone who is not one's spouse or regular partner)

His partner discovered that he was fooling around with his co-worker.

Examples of fool around with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

With only three people serving as potential victims, there’s not much time to fool around with niceties like character development and subplots. —

Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 11 Jan. 2023 But one of the first rules of quarterback play is don’t fool around with a hot QB. —

oregonlive, 12 Sep. 2021 Professional services that don’t have to actively fool around with networking hardware, or measure for curtains are the ones where workers will be most likely to work remote. —

Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2021 Don’t fool around with this virus. —

Emma Austin, The Courier-Journal, 10 Oct. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler

The first known use of fool around with was in 1923

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fool around with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fool%20around%20with. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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