1
as in to fumble
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 to disrupt
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 to stumble
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 to lick
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 mess (up)
Verb
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After Hovland calmly made a bogey on the last to secure the win, PGA Tour fans wasted no time grilling Thomas for fumbling a golden opportunity.—
Kevin Sabet,
Newsweek,
23 Mar. 2025 -
Gonzaga did have a shot to tie on its final possession, but Khalif Battle fumbled a handoff and had his desperation 3-pointer blocked by Ja’Vier Francis.—
CJ Moore,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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DDoS Threats Cybercriminals threaten Distributed Denial of Service attacks to disrupt personal websites unless payment is made.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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Unions point out that the CSRA granted federal workers collective bargaining rights in order to provide them a way to address workplace issues without disrupting government operations.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With Pochettino watching from the sidelines, the national team stumbled through its second lifeless loss in four days Sunday, falling to Canada 2-1 in the third place game of the CONCACAF Nations League before a tiny, mostly quiet crowd at SoFi Stadium.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Severance Ever since Helly and Mark stumbled upon a room filled with goats in Season 1 of Severance, fans have been wondering why Lumon is raising these animals in their walls.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Marchand has crossed lines by licking players, or repeatedly punching a hockey pacifist like Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin in a final series.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2025
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Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis are licking their chops.—
Jeffrey Gedmin,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At night, after the final whistle was blown, thousands of jubilant fans poured into the streets, heading toward the city’s bars to continue the debauchery, sometimes till dawn.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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After Wednesday’s defeat, the Heat has now blown a double-digit lead in an NBA-high 19 losses this season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Jennifer Coolidge, who originated the role of heiress Tanya McQuoid in Season 1, returned for Season 2, only to die by tripping and hitting her head on a boat and drowning.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Standout episodes see the besties trip out with Anderson .Paak at Afropunk and shine a light on trans joy with Peppermint.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But don't confuse him with Chris Evans' Human Torch who first cropped up in the 2005 Fantastic Four film and made a memorable cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine last year.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
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The Dodgers are on Spectrum SportsNet LA, which is not to be confused with Spectrum SportsNet, which carries the Lakers.—
Chad Jennings,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Rogers was found hiding under a bridge nearby and was arrested, authorities said.—
Kate Linderman,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2025
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The couple went viral in 2022 when food blogger Carissa Stanton moved into their former Venice, Calif., home and found old photographs of Dann and Karen hidden in the fireplace.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Mess (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mess%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
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