putter around

phrasal verb

puttered around; puttering around; putters around
US
: to spend time in a relaxed way doing small jobs and other things that are not very important
I didn't do much last weekend. I just puttered around.
He spent his vacation puttering around the house/garden.

Examples of putter around in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
For the remainder of the film, Sorvino putters around the Pole tinkering with his sled, doing step aerobics with the elves, and performing in a jazz quartet. Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024 Fall is simultaneously a wonderful time of year to get outside or putter around at home. Sara Coughlin, SELF, 28 Oct. 2024 This year, the characters fighting for the Iron Throne of Westeros spent a lot of time puttering around, but also delivered a really good dragon fight and even a surprising death. Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2024 That’s in part because slower forms of walking, like puttering around the house, aren’t necessarily intense enough to register as moderate-to-vigorous activity on a fitness monitor, but still count toward the number of steps taken. Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 21 May 2024 This heightens any desire to putter around your space, focusing on self-care, rather than going out and facing the cold, hard world. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2024 My husband was puttering around shoving a few last items into the cars. Sarah Stankorb, Longreads, 9 May 2024 The Mad Men star gets to show off his comedic chops as the amnesiac Gabriel, puttering around the bookshop and smiling blankly. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 20 July 2023 Levin believes his clients don’t want a highway cruiser, that most buy a Wolf to putter around town or keep at their vacation homes for short hauls. Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2024

Dictionary Entries Near putter around

Cite this Entry

“Putter around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/putter%20around. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!