play around
— phrasal verb with play uk/pleɪ/us/pleɪ/verb
(BE SILLY)
UK also play about informal to behave in a silly way:
Stop playing around and get on with your homework!
I wish you wouldn't play about with that - you'll break it.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Behaving in a silly way
- act/play the goat idiom
- be asking for it/trouble idiom
- be playing at sth idiom
- clown
- cut up
- faff
- fart
- goat
- goof
- goof around
- horse around
- kid
- mess
- mess around
- monkey
- monkey around
- muck
- muck sb/sth about/around
- piss (sb) about/around
- spectacle
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(SEX)
informal disapproving UK also play about If someone who is married or has a serious relationship plays around, they have sex with another person or people:
If she finds out he's been playing around with his secretary, there'll be trouble.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Relationships: infidelity
- a bit on the side idiom
- adulterer
- adultery
- bigamy
- bit
- cheat
- cheat on sb
- faithless
- fool
- fool around
- go off with sb
- inconstant
- mess
- play
- screw
- screw around
- side
- step
- step out on sb
- two-time
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