mess up
phrasal 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 + onShe'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
This Saturday, the Preakness celebrates its 150th anniversary, thanks to a three-year hiatus beginning in 1890 messing up the math.
—
Dana O'Neil, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The only way to mess up when applying this blush is to start off with too much.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 15 May 2025
Researchers found that most were eligible, but had missed a reporting deadline or messed up their paperwork.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Nordberg got pretty messed up throughout the movie.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess up
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Dana O'Neil, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The only way to mess up when applying this blush is to start off with too much.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 15 May 2025
Researchers found that most were eligible, but had missed a reporting deadline or messed up their paperwork.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Nordberg got pretty messed up throughout the movie.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mess up
Cite this Entry
“Mess up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20up. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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