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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing over

Verb

Four people represented by the ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit in May accusing the task force of abusing the law to block them from documenting officers’ actions, sometimes ordering them to stay more than 100 feet away from arrest scenes.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Two Miami-Dade church camp counselors were arrested Wednesday for allegedly abusing a 9-year-old boy by placing large orange cones over his head and repeatedly hitting him, according to the sheriff’s office.

— Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

This legislation helps our state meet current challenges and ensures bullying via AI is addressed in the school code.

— Ben Szalinski, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Muslim students continue to report the highest rates of bullying among religious groups in the country.

— Tazheen Nizam, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2026

Definition of bullying

Verb

Some of the finer moments for Nemes in the studio were during rehearsals, when the band was just kicking around ideas and jamming.

— Tina Eves, SPIN, 1 July 2026
All told, it’s been a pretty spectacular and drama-free rollout for an idea that had been kicking around Hollywood for over 15 years.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 18 June 2026

Definition of kicking around

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

messing around

messing over

messing (up)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Messing over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing%20over. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of messing over

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

implacable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes