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to mess

to mess

460 6.0
To bother someone to make them angry or upset
  • verb
  • /mɛs/
  • Informal
: meterse con
  • Then he says, "Class, don't mess with the only girl we've got in here!"

And I would just constantly mess with him all day long.

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Examples

  • "You mess with Spidey, you mess with New York!" yells one man.

    Academic text (2014)
  • You have no idea who you're messing with.

  • All I know is you mess with me, you got problems.

  • And I think people understand now, you know that you mess with that family, what happens?

  • And I would just constantly mess with him all day long.

  • Will you just stop messing with me already?

  • Why you messing with us?

  • Listen, don't mess with my art, OK?

  • "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" yells another.

    Academic text (2014)
  • If you continue to mess with my plans, I won't be happy.

Synonyms

to bother me
vsto mess
399 2.0

To disturb or interrupt someone and make them feel annoyed

carries intentional harassment and intimidation more than simple interruption
to fuck with
vsto mess
  • Offensive
349 9.9

To mess with someone's things or plans on purpose to cause trouble

focuses more on personal harassment and provocation than mere tampering
to pick
vsto mess
250 4.8

To start a fight or argument by annoying someone

is about bothering or harassing to intimidate rather than starting a fight
to annoy
vsto mess
144 1.0

Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions

is harsher, involving deliberate harassment or provocation to intimidate
to trouble
vsto mess
128 1.8

To cause someone worry or bother

is more about deliberate harassment and intimidation rather than general harm
to stir up
vsto mess
126 4.8

To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear

targets direct personal harassment and provocation rather than broad agitation
to hassle
vsto mess
58 4.4

To bother someone again and again

is stronger, aiming to harass or intimidate rather than just annoy
to disturb
vsto mess
38 2.1

Move something and make it untidy or broken

focuses on bothering people directly to harass or provoke rather than physical harm
to tangle with
vsto mess
25 6.5

To get into a fight with another person or group

is about provoking or harassing someone rather than entering mutual conflict

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

172 1.0

To make someone feel less upset or in pain

Idioms

5 1.6

Something that is untidy and not in order

2 8.4

A very large, messy situation that is hard to fix

mess of pottage
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small thing of little value taken instead of something better

To make a confusing or difficult situation clear

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

Phrasal Verbs

to mess up
  • Informal
755 2.8

To make a mistake that causes a problem

to mess around
  • Informal
133 4.1

To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities

7 5.9

To spend time somewhere doing nothing special

to mess up
  • Informal
5 3.0

To make something untidy, dirty, or not in the right place

Make a place messy so things are not in order

to unshit the mess
  • Offensive
9.9

To fix a serious problem left behind in a project or system

Compounds

mess hall
  • Jargon
41 3.4

A large room where people in the military eat

mess-up
  • Informal
10 5.1

A situation that is badly organized and full of mistakes

2 3.9

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

1 6.9

A dining room for military officers to eat and meet

sticky mess
  • Informal
1 5.5

A difficult, unpleasant situation that is hard to fix

1 3.7

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

A tangled group of cables that looks untidy

mess jacket
  • Jargon
8.4

Short jacket worn by military officers at formal dinners

widdle mess
  • Baby Talk
9.9

A small untidy area made by a child or pet

How Aggressive

to terrorize
  • NSFW
119 6.7
to intimidate
165 4.9
to mess
  • Informal
460 6.0
to pester
32 3.2
to annoy
144 1.0
to irritate
57 2.9

Surface Forms

mess infinitive
messed past
messed past participle
messing present participle
messes third person singular

Etymology

To mess with someone, meaning to bother or provoke them, is like causing trouble or making a 'mess' in their life, so the verb keeps the idea of creating trouble.