messes (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of mess (up)
1
as in fumbles
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 disrupts
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 stumbles
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 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)
  1. fumbles
  2. disrupts
  3. stumbles
  4. licks
  5. blows
  6. confuses
  7. trips
  8. pounds
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
Definition of fumbles
Verb
  • Strong wind shear tilts the nascent storm, disrupts its core and interferes with the upward transport of heat and moisture that fuels tropical storms and hurricanes.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 22 July 2026
  • Oil jumps another 3% to nearly $95 a barrel as war with Iran disrupts tankers, pressuring corporate profits and reviving inflation fears that could trigger more rate hikes.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of disrupts
Verb
  • But then our son stumbles into the room and burrows between us, his warmth radiating right alongside my light.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Let’s say Paul Simon, a curious man, stumbles upon your song and then reads this interview.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • Food stands also debuted that year, with ribs sizzling along with the blues licks.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • At one point in a dinner scene, Shields' Erika licks Joey's fingers.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Definition of licks
Verb
  • So the average curve still looks calm while the variance underneath it blows wide open.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • That blows Nolan’s old record for The Dark Knight Rises($249 million) out of the wine-dark water.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 July 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
  • But nobody confuses Harvard Extension School classes with the real thing.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 June 2026
Definition of confuses
Verb
  • Santa Ana, the country's tallest volcano), horseback rides along the black sand, and trips out along the Ruta de las Flores.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026
  • Powerful superconducting magnets could also provide a solution to the problem of cancer-causing cosmic radiation that explorers will encounter during stays on the moon or trips deeper into space.
    — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of trips
Verb
  • Back from a hamstring injury, Teoscar Hernández rejoins a relentless Dodgers offense that pounds 17 hits and three homers in a 9-4 win over the Athletics.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket.
    — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026
Definition of pounds
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

messes over
messes (up)
messes (with)
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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 25 Jul. 2026.

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