SCREWING AROUND Synonyms: 16 Similar Words

screwing around

verb

present participle of screw around

as in cheating

to be sexually unfaithful he hired a private detective because he thought his wife was screwing around

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of screwing around The informative thing was Lestat screwing around with me. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026 Mercedes is truly not screwing around with the new EQS. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Apr. 2026 What if some big musician is screwing around at sound check and sings one of [Spinal Tap’s] songs. — Melinda Newman, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwing around

Verb

Written and rendered by dudes who longed for unlimited success, these are songs about cheating and being cheated on and trying but failing to be content, or love as lived amid capitalist indulgence.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
In this case, the reward was solving the ExploitGym questions and the hacking was literally hacking—cheating on the test and then hacking into Hugging Face in an effort to cover up the cheating (more on that below).

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

Styles, who kicked off an extensive 30-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden last month as part of his international Together, Together tour, was spotted stepping out in black, low-profile leather loafers.

— Mariana Best, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
In a dash camera video shared by police, an officer can be seen stepping out quickly from a patrol vehicle as Ross was seen running in the street.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of stepping out

Browse Nearby Words

screwing

screwing around

screwing up

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“Screwing around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwing%20around. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of screwing around

verb

Example Sentences

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