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

The robot itself weighs 350 pounds and stands nearly five feet tall—which its creators hope will discourage anyone from messing with it. —Sam Klebanov, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025

What begins as betrayal becomes a story of resilience and solidarity—proving Richard picked the wrong trio to mess with. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025

Who’s messing with the lights and filling the air with menacing rumbles and zaps? —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025

Add the enticement of a new lover to mess with Lila’s head. —The Know, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025