mess about
mess about · messes about · messed about · messing about
ховатися, таїтися, скриватися
отдыхать, бездельничать
es sich bequem machen, ausgestreckt sitzen oder liegen, lungern
To misbehaveTo misbehave
» He is always messing about.
Meaning
3 senses(intransitive)To misbehave
Kids! Stop messing about and do your work!
(intransitive)To be in a casual non-committal relationship
Anna and I are just messing about; this isn't going to last.
(transitive)To play with; to toy with; to waste the time of (a person).
Stop messing me about and give me a straight answer!
More definitions
- be about a place without any apparent purpose
Examples
3 sentencesHe is always messing about.
Stop messing about.
ruХватит валять дурака.
deMach keine Fisematenten!
The new boss doesn't mess about. Whoever doesn't toe the line gets sacked.
deDer neue Chef fackelt nicht lange. Wer nicht spurt, wird gefeuert.
Forms
messes about, messing about, messed about, messed about| Base form | mess about · to mess about |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | messes about |
| Present participle | messing about |
| Past simple | messed about |
| Past participle | messed about |
irregular
Phrasal verbs
5 phrasal verbsSynonyms
13 synonymsall senses:mess around
Word family
1 related wordsDerivedmesser-abouter
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb