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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Yes, but: A much more straightforward way to disrupt the vaccine market would be to simply cancel government contracts with manufacturers.—
Caitlin Owens,
Axios,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Discovery: On a hike with her family, a 3-year-old stumbled across a 3,800-year-old Egyptian amulet.—
Justin Porter,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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Listen to this article The morning after his fifth suicide attempt, Rick Fisher stumbled to a church and pounded on the doors.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 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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What used to build brands now risks blowing them up.—
Remy Blumenfeld,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Apr. 2025
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Miles Caton blew me away and Michael B. jordan is incredible.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Apr. 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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No one was going to confuse Colossal with the Sierra Club.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
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Let go of a common misconception Some parents worry that teaching their child multiple languages will set them back or confuse them.—
Julia Furlan,
NPR,
5 Apr. 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 12 Apr. 2025.
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