as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
please don't mess with me while I'm trying to concentrate
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Recent Examples of messing
Marilyn, Nixon, the Kennedys, Bay of Pigs—we’ve seen Ellroy messing with this material long before the Quintet.
—
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Countless Renditions Campbell’s wasn't the only one messing with the tomato soup cake formula.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 7 June 2026
Nevertheless, taking proactive steps to deal with hair, slime, soap scum, and other things messing with your pipes can save you a major plumbing headache down the line.
—Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 2 June 2026
Punisher is messing with him, and the gun goes off.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Bishop aided in Alamo's death by messing with the bullets, giving his boss an unloaded gun.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
LeBron James loves messing with that nemesis named Father Time.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 May 2026
He was seen during his Tuesday practice round messing with his shoe and sock on his right foot before ultimately calling it quits.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Richie is constantly messing things up, Michael says.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Countless Renditions Campbell’s wasn't the only one messing with the tomato soup cake formula.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 7 June 2026
Nevertheless, taking proactive steps to deal with hair, slime, soap scum, and other things messing with your pipes can save you a major plumbing headache down the line.
—Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 2 June 2026
Punisher is messing with him, and the gun goes off.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Bishop aided in Alamo's death by messing with the bullets, giving his boss an unloaded gun.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
LeBron James loves messing with that nemesis named Father Time.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 May 2026
He was seen during his Tuesday practice round messing with his shoe and sock on his right foot before ultimately calling it quits.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Richie is constantly messing things up, Michael says.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing
Verb
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The Kennedy Center’s leadership argued in its appeal Friday that the renovation was badly needed and accused the lower court, in terms that seemed similar to Trump’s speech patterns, of interfering in the effort.—
Steven Sloan,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
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The Department of Justice had at one point investigated whether Pulte and his team were interfering in ongoing investigations.—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The post included a picture of a baby’s feet poking out from a blanket.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
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In Labour circles, there is an old joke poking fun at Burnham’s chameleon-like ability to blend into whichever set of ideas is in vogue on the left at that moment in time.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
Verb
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Besides the risk of Oracle snooping into your business, there’s also the possibility of regulatory capture — that is, because Ellison is so tight with the Trumps, what remains of the government watchdogs won’t stop it.—
Elizabeth Lopatto,
The Verge,
29 Apr. 2026
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This leads to a lively scene where Carl and his glowering right-hand man make an impromptu visit to Hypergnosis headquarters and demand a demonstration of Duncan’s snooping network.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Messing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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