1 B1 idiomatic informal
To spend time doing unimportant or silly things instead of working or being serious.
"Stop messing about and get your homework finished before dinner."
inseparable
mess about
B1 informal inseparable transitive/intransitive
To waste time, behave in a silly way, or treat someone carelessly.
In plain English
To play around and not do anything useful, or to treat someone badly.
What does "mess about" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To treat someone inconsiderately, especially by changing plans or being unreliable.
"They kept messing us about with the delivery date, so we cancelled the order."
separable
3 B1 informal
To tinker or experiment casually with something.
"He spent the afternoon messing about with the old motorbike engine in the garage."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To create disorder (mess) in the area about you — but the idiomatic meaning shifts to wasting time or treating someone carelessly.
Actually means
To play around and not do anything useful, or to treat someone badly.
Usage tip
Predominantly British English. When used transitively ('to mess someone about'), it means to treat a person inconsiderately or waste their time. When intransitive, it simply means to idle or play.
Words that pair with "mess about"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
stop kids time office colleagues around
How to conjugate "mess about"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
mess about
I/you/we/they
3rd person
messes about
he/she/it
Past simple
messed about
yesterday
Past participle
messed about
have + pp
-ing form
messing about
continuous
Hear "mess about" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "mess about" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "mess about"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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