mess

Examples

• All

• I want a great big mess of spareribs.

  The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

• The dessert was Eaton Mess, so that's a no-brainer, really.

  Blog text (10)

• And that mess on your plate is mine

  People Like Us (2012)

• How can anybody eat this mess?

  I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

• Now it was easy to enjoy the seeds without the mess of opening a pomegranate.

  Blog text (20)

• Hog jowls and a mess of beans.

  Fiction book (1998)

• I swirl the nutmeg atop my eggnog, then swallow the whole sweet mess in one gulp.

  Fiction book (1996)

• I ordered a delicious mess of macaroni and cheese from the diner.

• For dinner, we had a mess of homemade chili with cornbread.

• At the picnic, she made a large mess of potato salad that everyone enjoyed.

Synonyms

M

meal

vsmess

∞ 1.0

A time when people eat, for example breakfast or dinner

refers to a single soft or semiliquid food item rather than the eating occasion

D

dish

vsmess

332 1.0

A particular cooked food served as part of a meal

is limited to soft or semiliquid prepared food for one eating

P

portion

vsmess

61 1.3

An amount of food or drink served to one person

focuses on soft semiliquid food rather than the amount served

S

stir-fry

vsmess

4 2.1

A dish made by quickly frying small pieces of food in a little hot oil while stirring

is soft or semiliquid rather than fried and solid

Antonyms

S

solid food

11 1.0

Food that is not a drink and you chew before you swallow

Idioms

I

in a mess

9 1.6

Something that is untidy and not in order

O

one hell of a mess

• NSFW

2 8.4

A very large, messy situation that is hard to fix

M

mess of pottage

• Archaic

1 9.9

A small thing of little value taken instead of something better

U

to untangle this mess

1 5.5

To make a confusing or difficult situation clear

S

to sell your birthright for a mess of pottage

9.9

To give up something very important for a small, quick gain

Compounds

M

mess hall

• Jargon

27 3.4

A large room where people in the military eat

M

mess-up

• Informal

9 5.1

A situation that is badly organized and full of mistakes

M

mess kit

2 3.9

A set of metal plates, cups, and spoons that soldiers or campers use to eat outdoors

O

officer's mess

• Jargon

1 6.9

A dining room for military officers to eat and meet

S

sticky mess

• Informal

1 5.5

A difficult, unpleasant situation that is hard to fix

O

oily mess

1 3.7

A dirty, greasy stain or spill that is hard to clean

M

mess of wires

3.4

A tangled group of cables that looks untidy

M

mess jacket

• Jargon

8.4

Short jacket worn by military officers at formal dinners

W

widdle mess

• Baby Talk

9.9

A small untidy area made by a child or pet

Surface Forms

Etymology