student asking question

What's "mess around" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "mess around" means to behave in a silly or playful way. But it can also denote being mischievous or engaging in sexual activity depending on the context. In a song about parties, it probably leans towards sexual activity. Ex: We were messing around, and then we accidentally broke the swing. => playful Ex: Kids always mess around. => mischievous

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