mess around vs putter

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

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

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

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

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

mess around (noun)	putter (noun)
	the iron normally used on the putting green
	a golfer who is putting

mess around (verb)	putter (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