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
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The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025 -
For example, if an officer sees someone swerving, fumbling with items, or clearly not paying attention to the road, the interior light might factor into a citation for reckless or inattentive driving.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Light pollution disrupts animal behavior, interrupts plant cycles, and affects human health.—
Valerie Stimac,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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Body temperatures reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit can cause heatstroke, a condition that disrupts biological processes throughout the body.—
Sanket Jain,
Smithsonian Magazine,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Still, many times, most seasoned and skilled leaders stumble from time to time.—
Phil Portman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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Meanwhile, the only truly happy artist in Ira’s friend group — played to uproarious perfection by Stanley Tucci — isn’t even much of an artist at all but a shameless name-dropper who seems to stumble into constant success without even trying.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
Verb
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Fundraising craters, and both tech and blockchain are left licking their wounds.—
Tomer Warschauer Nuni,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
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To stop their younger golden retriever Cooper from licking his ears, Tucker had a medical cone.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Those cops do more than blow whistles and bark signals.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
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In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
Verb
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Pulliam saw the coyote emerge from the nearby woods and tried to distract it by throwing rocks, but tripped in the process.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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The novelty of seeing string puppet rockers spin and levitate, often tripping and tumbling in stride to the delight of the audience, never gets old.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
17 May 2025
Verb
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All of the footage from The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon makes the show-within-a-show look silly, which the series confuses with humorousness.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2025
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While no one should ever have confused the entertainment business with a warm binkie, the institutions themselves are in the new and awkward spot of having to justify their existence.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
12 May 2025
Verb
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At 19, Johnson married his wife Daphne and initially, was able to hide his drug use from her, the Johnson's clemency petition said.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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This navy/stone style is one person’s solution to hiding their two dogs’ dark-colored fur.—
Ali Faccenda,
People.com,
21 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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