mess-up
noun/ˈmɛsˌʌp/
Etymology Deverbal from mess up.
1
Informal A mistake or fiasco; something that has gone wrong.
2
Informal A person who makes many mistakes.
mess up
verbalso spelled mess-up8 senses
- 1To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.
- 2To cause a problem with; to introduce an error or…
- 3To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.
- 4To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to…
- 5To cause (another person) to make unwanted mistakes in a…
- 6To damage; injure.
- 7To manhandle; beat up; rough up.
- 8To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound…
1
To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.
- The afternoon breeze messed up my hair.
- […] kwatumas, those aggressive and sharp-toothed eels that so thoroughly mess up one's tackle when hooked […]1962, S. Schoeman, Strike!: A Handbook of Angling in South African Coastal Waters, page 58:
2
To cause a problem with; to introduce an error or mistake in; to make muddled or confused; spoil; ruin.
- The change messed something up, and it's not working anymore.
3
To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.
- Well, I messed up my solo, but otherwise it was a good concert.
4
To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to perform poorly.
- He has a hard time getting started because he's afraid he'll mess up.
- She messed up on her final exam.
1 more example
- What? Are we all just supposed to forgive this? This guy messed up in the worst possible way he could! Now we have nothing!2026 June 19, Gooseworx, “Remember” (1:19 from the start), in The Amazing Digital Circus, episode 9, spoken by Jax (Michael Kovach):
5
To cause (another person) to make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.
- Stop bumping me! You keep messing me up!
6
To damage; injure.
- He messed up his elbow at the track meet.
7
Slang To manhandle; beat up; rough up.
- Her brother's friends messed him up a little after he cheated on her.
8
Slang To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.
- That girl totally messed me up, man. I'm not sure who I am anymore.
- Derived terms
- messup, mess-up, unmessupable
- Related terms
- messed up