mess around vs potter

mess around is not a noun while potter is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
mess around	No	No	Yes	No
potter	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, mess around and potter are synonyms defined as:

mess around and potter: do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly

Other synonyms of mess around include monkey, monkey around, muck about, muck around, putter, tinker.

mess around (noun)	potter (noun)
	a craftsman who shapes pottery on a potter's wheel and bakes them in a kiln

mess around (verb)	potter (verb)
do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly	move around aimlessly
	do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly
	work lightly