to create a mess
1
2.1
- phrasal verb
:
hacer un desastre
- Our inept governor has traveled around whacking state employees and exacting his revenge wherever he can, and has created a mess.
And all that combines to, you know, to create to create a mess of a day.
- And all that combines to, you know, to create to create a mess of a day.
Examples
-
You know, I'm saying don't create a mess that wasn't there, OK?
-
He tried to fix his bike himself, but ended up creating a mess with all the tools scattered everywhere.
-
You can (more easily) create a mess.
Blog text (22) -
Most presidents don't mind creating a mess for the next guy to clean up.
Academic text (2004) -
As always, when capitalism creates a mess, there are organizations that attempt to grapple with it.
Blog text (23) -
Florida, for its part, created a mess by drastically restricting early voting.
Blog text (34) -
The children love to bake, but they always create a mess in the kitchen afterward.
-
When renovating the house, they didn't realize how much dust they would create a mess around the furniture.
Synonyms
248
1.0
To make something untidy or dirty
85
2.6
Mix eggs quickly while cooking until they become soft and fluffy
65
2.7
To make people confused and things messy
52
3.0
To make something untidy, dirty, or not in the right place
38
1.9
Mix things up so their order is not clear
22
3.8
Mix things together in a confused way
7
4.2
To fill a space with too many things so it looks messy
7
5.5
To make something untidy or not in its usual order
7
4.1
To make a place or situation very messy and confused
6
7.9
To make hair, clothes, or a surface messy
5
7.6
To ruin something by making mistakes or doing it badly
4
4.5
To make something lose its order or structure
4
8.1
To make a mess of a plan or task by doing it badly
2
5.4
To make a mistake especially by forgetting words on stage
2
6.7
Do a job badly and make a mess of it
1
7.9
To do something badly and ruin how it turns out
1
5.6
To make things untidy or cause confusion
1
6.4
To make something messy or not in the right order
1
9.9
To do something so badly that it fails
To spoil or ruin something by making a careless mistake
Antonyms
How Messy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make a place or situation untidy' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'create' (to bring into existence) with 'mess' (a state of disorder); the article 'a' is purely grammatical. This is a straightforward verb + noun composition equivalent to common patterns like 'make a mess' and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Create a mess shows a clear picture: to create is to make something and the mess is dishes, toys, or papers left all over the place when you spill or forget to tidy up. So the phrase means 'to make a place or situation untidy or disorganized'.