messed (up)

verb

past tense of mess (up)
1
as in fumbled
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
2
as in disrupted
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
3
as in stumbled
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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4
as in licked
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 messed (up)
  1. fumbled
  2. disrupted
  3. stumbled
  4. licked
  5. blew
  6. confused
  7. tripped
  8. pounded
Verb
  • Thomas and Woods fumbled in the first half in Spartan territory — their first of the season on 118 combined carries thus far.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • During Sunday night’s game against the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Mahomes fumbled after a big hit, and roughly 22 players had a chance to recover the ball.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of fumbled
Verb
  • The president said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, but Ukrainian soldiers said the service was still disrupted Friday.
    — Victoria Craw, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Common signs include low energy, disrupted sleep, mood changes and loss of motivation.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupted
Verb
  • Williams stumbled backward and circled both arms backward as Avdija kicked the ball out to Lillard for a three-pointer.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
  • An Egyptian farmer tending to his cucumbers stumbled upon an ancient stone that led archaeologists to a much bigger discovery.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • Some wagged their tails as people approached, licked their hands and even liked to be petted.
    — Alida de Flamingh, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.
    — Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of licked
Verb
  • The stocks are already down over 30% each in October as credit investors blew their yields out to distressed levels, doubting their business model of using aggressive levels of debt to build data centers.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • After losing consecutive non-road games by three points both times, on Saturday night UT blew a 24-3 halftime lead to turn it a fourth-quarter tie.
    — Mac Engel October 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of blew
Verb
  • Rosa got confused and brought up the glass of red to Carolyn’s cabin instead.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Christina Applegate’s recent revelation that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis is raising questions about how the disease can be confused with other conditions even after years of treatment.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of confused
Verb
  • Schaefer stayed on the ice for the first half of the extra period before Nashville's Filip Forsberg tripped him, forcing the period's first stoppage.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Doing so tripped Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, and the nearest official immediately whistled for an offensive foul, Towns’ second inside the first four minutes of the season opener.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of tripped
Verb
  • Kyiv has pounded Russian refineries this year in an effort to cut the revenue the Kremlin collects from energy exports and curtail Moscow's ability to wage war.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Pistons pounded the inside and scored 24 second-chance points.
    — Dan Gelston, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of pounded
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

messed over
messed (up)
messed (with)
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Cite this Entry

“Messed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20%28up%29. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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