1
as in fumbles
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 disrupts
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 stumbles
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 licks
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 messes (up)
Verb
-
Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 May 2026 -
The movie fumbles the chance to do something arresting with this seminal period in art.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Verb
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El Niño, however, is associated with higher vertical wind shear in the Atlantic, which disrupts this process.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
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The more established the team’s reputation, the less anyone wants to be the one who disrupts it.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The first robot stumbles on aluminum debris, its wheels furiously trying to get traction and move around the obstacle.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
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A lot of freedom going on between the guitars, a lotta little licks intermingle with the big guitar licks that the song is all about.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
22 May 2026
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At one point A’zion licks the digitally de-aged Mick Jagger’s face.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
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What makes season 6 a top-tier installment is witnessing two power alliances (the Friendship and the Sovereign 6) going head-to-head and trading blows back-and-forth every single week.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
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The fuel-saving engine start-stop system is also transparent, and the air conditioning blows ice cold, even when the gasoline engine is off.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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The whole concept of toxic fandom confuses me because, outside of the anger and backwards thinking, because who cares about a movie franchise that much?—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
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The herb’s fragrance confuses and deters pests from eating your peppers.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Brown has four championships as an assistant and seven Finals trips overall.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
1 June 2026
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Humanoids, meanwhile, are still far from being useful in most homes and pose physical danger to people with limited mobility if the robot trips and falls.—
Matt O’Brien,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Rain pounds down in a stinging curtain.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
-
Her silver nail polish—reminiscent of the shade worn by Lou Reed (from one New York legend to another) in footage shown during Todd Haynes’s documentary The Velvet Underground—sparkles as Gaga pounds the keys of her piano throughout the film.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Messes (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messes%20%28up%29. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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