fool around

Idioms  

1. Also, monkey around . Engage in idle or casual activity, putter. For example, Jim loved to fool around with his computer , or She was monkeying around with some figures in hopes of balancing the budget . [Second half of 1800s]

2. Engage in frivolous activity, waste time. For example, Instead of studying, he spends all his spare time fooling around . Also see fool away .

3. Engage in flirting or casual sexual acts; also, engage in adultery. For example, He caught the two teenagers fooling around in the basement . [1830s]

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Example Sentences

"He'd fool around at the reception desk and would check patients in," he says.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

You don’t want to put yourself at risk of getting sick, so if you see a recall that involves salmonella or E. coli, don’t fool around: Toss the product or return it to the store.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2022

Still, “No Rules Sandy” sounds like Sylvan Esso had ample time to fool around in the studio.

From New York Times • Aug. 11, 2022

On that night, I found out Joni was in town, in London, and asked her to come to the studio and just fool around.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2022

He told us that we’d better be running over the summer because they didn’t fool around in high school PE.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt