Acting Badly or Not Seriously (Around)

to tell people constantly what to do or how to behave, in an arrogant way

I don't appreciate you bossing my son around.

to behave in a playful, silly, or humorous manner, often engaging in antics or comedic actions for amusement

Instead of focusing on their work, they decided to clown around and playfully chase each other around the office.

to waste time engaging in unproductive activities

Instead of preparing for the presentation, he spent the afternoon faffing around on social media.

to engage in playful, silly, or time-wasting activities

The kids love to fool around in the backyard, playing games and making up adventures.

to spend time in a place, often without a specific purpose or activity

After school, the students like to hang around the playground until their parents arrive.

to treat someone in a cruel or unfair way, often by deceiving them or manipulating them

He felt like his boss was just jerking him around with empty promises of a promotion.

to relax and do nothing or very little

I'm just going to laze around today and watch TV.

to waste time relaxing and doing nothing

The student procrastinated on their homework, lying around in bed until the last minute.

to waste time or engage in idle, unproductive activity

Instead of studying, he chose to mess around on social media for hours.

to engage in playful, often mischievous, or silly behavior without a clear purpose

During the break, the kids like to monkey around in the playground, laughing and playing games.

to consistently instruct someone on what to do in a bossy and unpleasant manner

She doesn't like being ordered around and prefers collaboration in the workplace.

to behave in an irresponsible or stupid manner

He needs to stop playing around and take his studies seriously.

to spend time leisurely, often doing minor tasks or chores in or around the house

It's therapeutic to just potter around the garden, getting your hands dirty and connecting with nature.

to rudely or threateningly give orders to someone

Ever since he got promoted, he thinks he can push everyone around.

to play energetically and noisily

The kids run around the backyard, playing catch.

to spend time doing nothing or nothing productive

On weekends, I just like to sit around and watch TV.

to spend time standing in a place without doing anything purposeful or without having a particular reason to be there

We had to stand around for an hour waiting for the bus to arrive.

to remain in a place longer than originally intended, often with the expectation of waiting for something to happen or for someone to arrive

You can leave if you want, but I’m going to stick around for a while.

to remain in one spot with nothing to do, expecting something to happen

We waited around for hours at the bus stop due to the delayed schedule.