potter vs muck about

potter is a noun but muck about is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
potter	Yes	No	Yes	No
muck about	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, potter and muck about are synonyms defined as:

potter and muck about: do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly

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

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

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