mess with
phrasal verb
messed with; messing with; messes with
informal
1
: to cause trouble for (someone) : to deal with (someone) in a way that may cause anger or violence
I wouldn't want to mess with him.
You'd better not be messing with me.
2
chiefly US
: to deal with or be involved with (something that causes or that could cause trouble)
The company doesn't want to mess with small distributors.
He doesn't want to mess with cocaine anymore.
3
: to handle or play with (something) in a careless way : to mess around with (something)
Don't mess with the camera.
Examples of mess with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Again, no need to mess with a winning formula.
—
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Your soda or happy hour habit could be messing with your hair health.
—Brian Mastroianni, Health, 5 Sep. 2025
Tight, achy shins can mess with your exercise routine…and whatever else is on your agenda, like strolling with your pup or climbing stairs.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 3 Sep. 2025
All this scrolling is messing with people’s health.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess with
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Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Your soda or happy hour habit could be messing with your hair health.
—Brian Mastroianni, Health, 5 Sep. 2025
Tight, achy shins can mess with your exercise routine…and whatever else is on your agenda, like strolling with your pup or climbing stairs.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 3 Sep. 2025
All this scrolling is messing with people’s health.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess with
Cite this Entry
“Mess with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20with. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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