to mess

Examples

• All

• Mess hall, right away, people.

  Alien³ (1992)

• Might mess up my hair.

  Cherry 2000 (1987)

• Then they will also mess in Ion.

  The American Poop Movie (2006)

• No, it's not messing with my judgment.

  American Hustle (2013)

• Sounds to me like "we won't mess up what is now, but in the future, we can do whatever we feel like."

  Blog text (15)

• The soldiers will mess together in the dining facility after their training exercises.

• After finishing their drills, the troops went to mess for their afternoon meal.

• In the evening, the recruits gathered in the mess to share stories and bond over dinner.

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

Phrasal Verbs

M

to mess up

• Informal

597 2.8

To make a mistake that causes a problem

M

to mess around

• Informal

111 4.1

To spend time doing playful or unplanned activities

M

to mess up

• Informal

52 3.0

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

M

to mess about

• UK

3 5.9

To spend time somewhere doing nothing special

C

to create a mess

1 2.1

Make a place messy so things are not in order

U

to unshit the mess

• Offensive

9.9

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

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