1
as in fumbling
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
messed up the drawing and had to start over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrupting
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
a nap had messed up her hair and she looked a sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stumbling
to make a mistake
if anyone messes up even once while we're recording, we have to start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messing (up)
Verb
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Yet, as any visitor stalled in traffic or fumbling for cash to top up a transit card discovers, the old Seoul persists beneath the new.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026 -
What to know about the Patriots-Texans game Despite three turnovers and Drake Maye fumbling four times, the Patriots held on to beat the Houston Texans, 28-16.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In simple terms, space warfare is about controlling, or disrupting, the satellites and space systems modern militaries rely on every day.—
Emma Withrow,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
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Rendering examines how artificial intelligence is disrupting the entertainment industry, taking you inside key battlegrounds and spotlighting change makers wielding the technology for good and ill.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The committee is already split between those worried about persistent inflation, who’d like to keep rates unchanged, and those who think that recent upticks in unemployment point to a stumbling economy that needs lower interest rates to bolster hiring.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Years of decline have reduced Tottenham — one of the wealthiest clubs on the planet — to a place where the collective mood of the fanbase is at least somewhat conditioned by Arsenal stumbling again.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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They’ve been burned enough by blowing leads this season.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Wilkerson treated him like a traffic cone, blowing by and bullying him for baskets.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These options are also cordless, so there’s no worry about tripping or your pet chewing on a cord.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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Tonally limber, this crowd-pleaser is made of slow-motion sequins and plenty of scenes of the increasingly off-balance Kikuchi tripping over her metaphorical feet.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Rain pounding against windows and ocean waves crashing into the foundations of shoreline homes with wind gusts of over 60 mph — what may sound like a stormy September day in Florida took place in Milford during Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020.—
Maleena Muzio,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2026
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Russia has been pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hoping to wear down public resistance to the war while leaving many around the country having to endure the dead of winter without heat.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Germany's exact medal count is a point of contention because Germany has not always competed in each Olympics as a unified country, which can lead to confusing medal counts.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
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For many, tax season can be a confusing and stressful time with lingering deadlines and confusing tax forms.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Messing (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messing%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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