1
as in fumbled
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 disrupted
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 stumbled
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 licked
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 messed (up)
Verb
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Ball security The Hurricanes have fumbled the ball four times in the past two games and lost two of them — one apiece by Malachi Toney (first round against Texas A&M) and Fletcher (quarterfinal against Ohio State).—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026 -
Kennedy fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone, the source of the noise.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Lakers disrupted alley-oop attempts to Castle and Luke Kornet in the opening minutes.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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During a three-game losing streak that began with a loss to Arkansas State, Arkansas has been turnover prone and seen its dribble-drive offense disrupted.—
Ethan Westerman,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That was until about a month before Adams' wedding, when her mother, April, stumbled upon the outfit while cleaning out some boxes in storage.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
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Nick Woltemade came on, stumbled over his own feet and struggled for involvement.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even as flames licked the rafters and debris began to drip down, some onlookers filmed on their phones while others kept dancing or talking over the music.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
2 Jan. 2026
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When asked by director Marina Zenovich if there was a time when Chase walked away from his mother and stepfather and never saw them again, Chase pretended to swat a fly on his forehead, then licked his fingers as if eating the imaginary bug.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sassounian, for his part, doesn’t think there’s any risk the two California Couriers would ever be confused with each other.—
Colin Lecher,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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Many of the event’s attendees were confused about — or ignorant of — what had occurred on the other side of the court house.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pair embraced each other in the tunnel before kick-off, but shortly before half-time, Salah tripped Mane by the team benches, causing tensions to overflow.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Dellandrea was injured in the Sharks’ game on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets as his right leg struck the post after he was inadvertently tripped while driving to the net.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Celtics pounded the paint with Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, a pair of bruising bigs who also can force the issue from 3-point range despite their lumbering dispositions.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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Trump seems to have arrived, on his own, at the same understanding of geography and politics that was pounded into the heads of Soviet schoolchildren, including Putin and me.—
M. Gessen,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump has lashed out at five GOP senators who joined with Democrats to advance the resolution last week, raising doubts that the measure will ultimately pass.—
Stephen Groves,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Instead of taking responsibility for the mishandling of the snow removal, Bilandic lashed out, saying police would be ticketing vehicles and ordering them towed if not removed from Chicago’s streets.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Messed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20%28up%29. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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