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

For a face tan that won’t clog pores or mess with your skin care routine, the lightweight Isle of Paradise Self-Tan Face Drops can be mixed into your moisturizer (or layered under it) as part of your skin care routine. — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2026

But first, Roy has to undo all the booby traps in there placed to mess with visiting teams’ heads. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Crowley suggests the messiness of the primary is because the President is messing with Democrats’ heads. — Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Vrabel has been messing with Jacas behind the scenes, giving him a hard time during team meetings, which is customary for rookies. — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 4 Aug. 2026