MESS UP
Dictionary entry overview: What does mess up mean?
• MESS UP (verb)
The verb MESS UP has 3 senses:
1. make a mess of, destroy or ruin
2. disturb the smoothness of
3. make a mess of or create disorder in
Familiarity information: MESS UP used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• MESS UP (verb)
Meaning:
Make a mess of, destroy or ruin
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
bungle; flub; fluff; foul up; fuck up; louse up; mess up; mishandle; muck up; bumble; botch up; ball up; bobble; bodge; bollix; bollix up; bollocks; bollocks up; botch; spoil; muff; screw up; fumble; blow
Context examples:
I botched the dinner and we had to eat out / the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement
Hypernyms (to "mess up" is one way to...):
fail; go wrong; miscarry (be unsuccessful)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Disturb the smoothness of
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
rumple; ruffle up; mess up; ruffle
Context example:
ruffle the surface of the water
Hypernyms (to "mess up" is one way to...):
disarrange (destroy the arrangement or order of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Make a mess of or create disorder in
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
mess; mess up
Context example:
He messed up his room
Hypernyms (to "mess up" is one way to...):
disarray; disorder (bring disorder to)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
