messed (up)

verb

past tense of mess (up)
1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way messed up the drawing and had to start over

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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

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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

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4
as in licked
to strike repeatedly threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed (up)
  1. fumbled
  2. disrupted
  3. stumbled
  4. licked
  5. blew
  6. confused
  7. tripped
  8. pounded
Verb
  • The rookie tight end caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in his first career start Sunday, even as the Lions beat the Jets, 31-24, after Geno Smith fumbled with seconds remaining.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The Ravens' defense came up big in the third quarter, forcing a Cowboys turnover when Ferguson fumbled a shovel pass from Prescott.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine disrupted steel supplies, upended supply chains, and sent costs soaring.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Drought has disrupted berry crops and other natural food sources that bears depend on, sending them closer to humans and into garage cans, bird feeders and chicken coops.
    — N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupted
Verb
  • Colorado stumbled out of its Big 12 opener with a 23-13 loss to Baylor, dropping Coach Prime's Buffaloes to 2-2 and looking like (potentially) the worst team in the conference.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • A couple of years later, Noah Kravitz of Oxford, unaware of Müyesser and Pokrovskiy’s solution, stumbled on Graham’s conjecture in an online archive of unsolved problems.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.
    — Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of licked
Verb
  • His opponent blew him out of the water, receiving 70% of the vote.
    — Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • After controlling the first half, Ohio State blew the lead in the second, losing 24-23.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • The arrests generated massive amounts of headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, and many were confused when the suspects were released on bail the next day.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2026
  • While accepting the Moon Person, fans watching at home were confused when the sound cut out as Carpenter was talking.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • Since then, price has completely round-tripped the move, giving back the entire post-earnings gap and settling back into the mid-$250s.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Thomas Maulson alleged a deputy tripped him while handcuffed, causing injuries that required 13 stitches.
    — Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of tripped
Verb
  • Moscow's forces pounded apartment buildings, offices, gas stations and data centers, among other targets.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The nor’easter that pounded North Carolina’s Outer Banks has turned the majestic sand dunes into death traps, coastal experts say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounded
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.

Browse Nearby Words

messed over
messed (up)
messed (with)
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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 6 Oct. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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