mess up

verb

messed up; messing up; messes up

informal

: to make a mistake : to do something incorrectly

About halfway into the recipe, I realized that I had messed up, and I had to start over.

—often + on

She's afraid she'll mess up on the test.

I messed up on my first attempt.

Examples of mess up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once Debbie learns the truth about her friend and Judith messes up a job, the two go on the run across Europe. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 July 2026

Even tiny things like vibrations, stray light or small temperature changes can mess up their state. — Aldo Romero, The Conversation, 15 July 2026

That’s in part because the supply chain got messed up during the war. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

And then maybe hold back on two tablespoons because that won't run the risk of messing up your filling at all. — Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 July 2026

Rhymes for mess up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup