Let's say there is a woman who wants to be in a relationship with a guy, but the guy isn't sure if he wants to be in a serious relationship with the woman. And because the uncertainty he has been seeing the woman for quite some time trying to know if he likes her enough. Can I say
the guy is messing her around
to communicate the idea?
If it doesn't sound natural, what would a native English speaker say?
Best Answer
No, the actual phrase that is commonly used for this exact scenario is "mess around" and not "mess somebody around".
"To mess someone around" is exactly what Michael Harvey said in his answer. From Cambridge, "mess sb about/around" means to treat someone badly. This is somewhat close to "mess somebody/you up" which means to cause someone to suffer emotional and mental problems. This is something different than what you are looking for.
From what you say, it seems like the guy is uncertain about this. While the woman is fully committed, the man isn't. He however continues to see this woman. This means he is spending time with her (and possibly having sex with her).
The phrase you want is "mess around" which means to spend time doing various things that are not important, without any particular purpose or plan (Cambridge). This in your case easily means spending time with someone without fully committing into the relationship.
Note that context is very important.
"Mess around (with sb)" has a set meaning too. If a married man or woman messes around with someone, they have a sexual relationship with someone who is not their wife or husband (Cambridge).
But the phrase is commonly used for just casual relationships (where one is not committed), at least from what I have seen.
You can also use "fool around with".
Then there is the phrase "string along".