mess with

phrase

1

: to deal with (someone) in a way that may cause anger or violence

He's not someone you want to mess with.

2

: to be involved with (someone or something) that may cause problems

I don't have time to mess with all these changes.

3

: to handle something in a careless way

Stop messing with my phone.

Examples of mess with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Just as all the guys in the crew except Moe fail to step up and intervene when the drunks mess with the girls, so too do the girls fail to step up and intervene in Kaylee’s delusional, maybe even hallucinatory, view of Matt. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2026

The gooey cheese pulls create kind of a mess with your hands, but cutting with a fork and knife feels too formal for pizza. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

And their competition should think twice about messing with the girl power on this team. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026

For the second generation of the brand’s smaller sports car, Aston Martin knew better than to mess with the basic idea; the proportions and mission stayed the same. — Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 2