MESSING OVER Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

messing over

verb

present participle of mess over, slang

as in abusing

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon her no-good boyfriend has been messing her over for years

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing over

Verb

A day after the website went live on July 22, Gupta says people called him from unknown numbers, verbally abusing him and threatening him with violence.

— Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
The backlash intensified after reports of immigration authorities accessing Flock data, officers abusing the network to stalk women, and misreads that led to innocent people held at gunpoint.

— Christopher Cann, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

Rudin had stepped away from producing in 2021, after a Hollywood Reporter story detailed multiple claims from Rudin’s former employees of bullying and verbal abuse as well as throwing objects at staff.

— Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Many of Chelsea’s match-going supporters are old enough to remember their team regularly bullying Arsenal.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of bullying

Verb

The fantasy of a cultural architecture that’s as flexible as culture itself has been kicking around for more than 100 years, and there’s something obscurely disappointing about seeing a technocratic version get put into practice.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 29 July 2026
Within the venue gates but outside the stands, groups of friends were playing cornhole and having picnic dinners from food trucks parked onsite; older attendees were chatting and kids were kicking around mini soccer balls.

— Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 7 July 2026

Definition of kicking around

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messing around

messing over

messing (up)

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“Messing over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing%20over. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of messing over

verb

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