MESSING (UP) Synonyms: 243 Similar and Opposite Words

messing (up)

verb

present participle of mess (up)

as in fumbling

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

as in disrupting

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

as in stumbling

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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as in licking

to strike repeatedly threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing (up)

Verb

The Sky rank 13th in the league with a 7-16 record after fumbling a fourth-quarter lead Sunday in a loss to the Dallas Wings.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
The Rockies’ Jake McCarthy pulled McDonald’s second pitch of the day into Triples Alley and never stopped running, taking advantage of right fielder Jung Hoo Lee fumbling the ball.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 12 July 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

Meanwhile in Romania over the weekend, the Danube plunged to its lowest level in 30 years, according to Reuters, disrupting shipping and leading to restrictions on irrigation.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
At least eight people have died as severe weather continues to sweep across the United States, with flash flooding, powerful thunderstorms and extreme heat disrupting travel and threatening communities on July 19.

— Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Definition of disrupting

Verb

Last year, a bison tragically boiled to death after stumbling into one of Yellowstone's hot springs.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026
If your dog is stumbling, lethargic, vomiting, collapses or is unresponsive, contact a vet immediately while working to cool down your dog.

— Cody Godwin, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

That means no tasting cookie dough made with raw eggs, no licking brownie batter off the beaters, and no homemade Caesar dressing made with uncooked yolks.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 23 July 2026
Other signs of stress included head shaking, licking its lips, yawning, or scratching behind the ears.

— Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 20 July 2026

Definition of licking

Verb

But extraordinary pressure is building in the Middle East, and the new escalation could send oil blowing past those dubious milestones.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Tamra is right; Shannon and some of the other cast are looking for things to get mad about, taking tiny things and blowing them up.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 July 2026

Definition of blowing

Verb

Indeed, the movie opens with Ed quizzing an older Greek man he’s befriended on the Belgian designer Ann Demeulemeester, before berating him for confusing his Bottega Veneta loafers for Sebago.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Disenfranchising or, at best, confusing their voters risks their own electoral success, too.

— SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, The Conversation, 17 July 2026

Definition of confusing

Verb

Among them was Argentina’s Leandro Paredes appearing to grab Spain’s Eric García by the throat before others started shoving and tripping each other to the turf.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026
In March, Melissa Graybill, 52, watched her mother, who is 69, begin an arduous recovery journey after tripping while getting off a horse.

— Erica Sloan, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Definition of tripping

Verb

For much of the ’80s, Teresa Taylor (aka Teresa Nervosa) joined up as a second drummer, pounding tribal beats beside Coffey, and became a Gen-X icon after appearing in the 1990 film Slacker.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026
After pounding his drive down the final fairway, Fox hit his approach to just inside 12 feet and then dripped his birdie putt into the edge of the cup to win the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

— Dan Zaksheske, FOXNews.com, 19 July 2026

Definition of pounding

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messing over

messing (up)

messing (with)

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“Messing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of messing (up)

verb

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