mess up

verb

messed up; messing up; messes up
Synonyms of mess upnext
informal
: to make a mistake : to do something incorrectly
About halfway into the recipe, I realized that I had messed up, and I had to start over.
—often + on
She's afraid she'll mess up on the test.
I messed up on my first attempt.

Examples of mess up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Y’all keep messing up the team chemistry. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2026 And, in these messed up times, that is extremely important. — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Over the course of its more than four-decade run, the series has sometimes messed up in ways that are only caught after the fact by eagle-eyed audiences. — Louis Peitzman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026 Oils and grease are in liquid form while warm, but will become a solid, jello-like substance after cooling; this is what will mess up your plumbing. — Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for mess up

Rhymes for mess up

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Browse Nearby Words

messuage
mess up
mess with
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mess up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20up. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of mess up for Spanish Speakers

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