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
Richie is constantly messing things up, Michael says.
—
Erin Jensen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
But Grandmere would not be messing with her phone while driving, anyway.
—Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 3 May 2026
Stop messing with Wedgie, already.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
Why are people messing with those cute little robots?
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
The weather keeps messing with the White Sox schedule.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
The robots are messing with that math.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2026
But now, with its Major League Baseball opening night rights, the streamer is messing with the wrong fan base.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Tulane’s other big contingent, activist investors, have been a bit defanged by AI, which is messing with companies’ strategies and their ability to credibly critique them.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Erin Jensen, USA Today, 8 May 2026
But Grandmere would not be messing with her phone while driving, anyway.
—Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 3 May 2026
Stop messing with Wedgie, already.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
Why are people messing with those cute little robots?
—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
The weather keeps messing with the White Sox schedule.
—Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
The robots are messing with that math.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2026
But now, with its Major League Baseball opening night rights, the streamer is messing with the wrong fan base.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
Tulane’s other big contingent, activist investors, have been a bit defanged by AI, which is messing with companies’ strategies and their ability to credibly critique them.
—Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing
Verb
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Several legislative efforts are currently underway to keep the federal government from interfering in California elections.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The pattern of stripes shows that the photon’s two interfering paths are wave-like, also suggesting that a quantum particle behaves much like a wave.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The post quickly drew a wave of reactions online, with some users poking fun at both the situation and Jones’ outfit.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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Here, Ibrahima Konate has the simple task of poking the ball through United’s midfield, Wirtz swaps passes with Szoboszlai, and then has a decent attempt at goal.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 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 12 May. 2026.
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