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
-
And the counseling office fumbled it.—
Sharyn Alfonsi,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026 -
Cornell fumbled with Mercader’s clothing, trying to find them.—
Josh Ireland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, air travel across the Middle East remains severely disrupted, with Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad all saying their operations continue to be suspended due to safety concerns.—
Lee Ying Shan,Anniek Bao,Victor Loh,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Evacuation flights have begun departing the UAE after airport closures that have disrupted some of the world’s busiest airports.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The drunk boys urinated on the property, threw up in the backyard and stumbled and fell on the patio, the documents state.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The girls were found Monday evening by a dog walker who stumbled across the first body in the vicinity of East 162nd Street and Midland Avenue, near an all-boys public school called the Ginn Academy School, and called the police.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Of course, the flue was closed, so the fire licked up the walls, left a smell like the fall, like ancient smokehouses and dung.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
At Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, the oldest carving factory in America, a team of former archaeologists and butchers creates ephemeral art designed to be licked, touched, and eventually, lost.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After Survivor 50 aired its premiere episode on Wednesday, fans were confused when no official podcast from Jeff Probst appeared in their feeds.—
Staff Author,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Newer plates have a slash through zeros, which could cause them to be confused with the number eight.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jokic confronted Dort after getting tripped in the backcourt, leading to a heated shoving match.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Early last year, Brown’s wife—the former Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz—tripped over a clothes basket and broke her shoulder.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Gators pounded the Razorbacks in the paint, outscored them from long range and clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The rain that pounded the streets of Newtown on Thursday, February 26 didn’t stop her and husband Prince William from interacting with the Welsh for twenty-five minutes, according to the BBC.—
Séraphine Roger,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Maza drew in Hamburg players before flicking the ball on for Kofane, who lashed it into the top-left corner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Most recently, the White Stripes rocker lashed out after Trump posted a since‑deleted video on his official Truth Social account depicting Michelle and Barack Obama as apes.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
28 Feb. 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 7 Mar. 2026.
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