WordWeb Online

1. Spend time in one place doing little or wasting time
   "The high school students like to mess about in the Central Square";
   - loiter, lounge, footle [informal], lollygag [N. Amer, informal], loaf [informal], lallygag [N. Amer, informal], hang around, tarry, linger, lurk, mill about, mill around, dilly-dally [informal], dillydally [informal], mooch [Brit, informal]

Derived forms: messing about, messed about, messes about

Type of: be