messing with
Playfully bothering someone
Messing with someone means teasing, provoking, or playing tricks on them: Don't get upset, I'm just messing with you.
Messing with something means tampering or interfering with it carelessly: Someone's been messing with the thermostat.
To warn someone not to mess with you is to suggest you're dangerous to provoke: You don't want to mess with him.
- tamperingImproper interference with something
- manipulatingInfluencing through cunning
- sabotagingDeliberately undermining or destroying
- interferingIntruding in others' affairs
- meddlingIntrusive interference in others' concerns
fooling · playing games · ribbing · altering · fiddling · destabilizing · provoking · jerking around · pranking · kidding · having on · pulling leg · taunting · joshing · taking the piss · antagonizing · teasing · getting under skin
- messing aroundfooling, goofing, goofing off, horsing around, monkeying
leaving alone vs. interfering
messing withleaving alone
Ceasing to disturb
letting be · leaving be · respecting · preserving · hands off