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louse around

C1 informal inseparable intransitive
In simple words

You waste time and don't do anything useful, possibly causing small problems.

Meanings

1 C1 idiomatic informal

To waste time in an aimless, unproductive, or troublesome way.

"Stop lousing around and get your homework done."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Rare and dated. Primarily American English. Most native speakers today would use 'mess around,' 'goof around,' or 'fool around' instead. Learners are unlikely to encounter this in modern texts.

Commonly used with

all day work office time

Forms

Base
louse around
I/you/we/they
3rd person
louses around
he/she/it
Past simple
loused around
yesterday
Past participle
loused around
have + pp
-ing form
lousing around
continuous

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Synonyms

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