1
as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
messed up the drawing and had to start over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
a nap had messed up her hair and she looked a sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to stumble
to make a mistake
if anyone messes up even once while we're recording, we have to start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mess (up)
Verb
-
Facial recognition can help reduce wait times, eliminate the hassle of fumbling with documents and free up staff to focus on higher-value service.—
Jeff Kim,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025 -
In the first quarter, he was sacked on third-and-7 and fumbled the ball.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Months after Milwaukee officials began talking about the issue, street takeovers continue to disrupt the city.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
That’s because the same technology that may be disrupting traditional jobs could accelerate entirely new industries from space tourism to planet colonization.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Closer Bryan Abreu stumbled but has earned the benefit of the doubt with the dominance he’s displayed.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Exposure to harmful content is another risk as studies show that teens are more likely than adults to stumble upon self-harm imagery or extremist propaganda.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Common symptoms include excessive scratching, licking, ear infections, and digestive issues.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Cleveland Browns blew both a golden opportunity at what would’ve been the surprise upset of Week 1 and a chance to add to the Cincinnati Bengals’ early-season misery of the past few years.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Finn simply tripped in an environment that was not set up to be safe for him.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
With no cords to trip over, cleaning will feel a lot less like a juggling act.—
Toni Sutton,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This decision could confuse your friends.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The season ended with the two attending a sleepover at Cody's house after his mom confused Beavis and Butt-Head with her son's friends.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Phillips died in a police shootout on Monday, after officers were alerted to a possible break-in at a farm goods store in Poipoi in the western Waikato district, near to where he was believed to have been hiding out with his kids, CNN, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) and ABC News Australia reported.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Pep Guardiola is a tactile man who does not hide his expressive nature when speaking to his players.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Mess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20%28up%29. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share