MESSES UP Synonyms: 238 Similar and Opposite Words

messes (up)

verb

present tense third-person singular of mess (up)

as in fumbles

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way messed up the drawing and had to start over

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as in disrupts

to undo the proper order or arrangement of a nap had messed up her hair and she looked a sight

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as in stumbles

to make a mistake if anyone messes up even once while we're recording, we have to start all over again

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as in licks

to strike repeatedly threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for messes (up)

Verb

Lake Mary’s Remy Jarman fumbles the ball on his run and Oviedo recovers.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Buford scored 17 points off three Gainesville fumbles on punt plays.

— Jack Leo, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of fumbles

Verb

Montemayor told Campus Insights Media that alcohol disrupts rest at a biological level, fragmenting sleep into short bursts that leave a person feeling drained the following morning.

— Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming at low cost, triggering hazardous haze that reduces visibility, disrupts land and air transportation and threatens public health.

— Muhammad Hatta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of disrupts

Verb

In the movie, the two actors first cross paths when Ledger’s character stumbles upon Bettany, who is fully naked, strolling through the streets after losing his clothes and money from gambling.

— Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026
Shortly after, a young man stumbles towards Pat from the direction of the pub, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

— Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of stumbles

Verb

That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.

— Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of licks

Verb

The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
By the time Frey and Felder nearly came to blows backstage in the summer of 1980, however, those threads were too frayed to hold.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of blows

Verb

Standard rooms already feel generous by Vegas standards, and suites step up to apartment-like layouts, with separate living areas that make longer stays or work trips more comfortable.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
An agent holding valid credentials, performing thousands of plausible-looking actions across four days, trips neither alarm.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of trips

Verb

Part of the problem is that every summer, water pounds down on sidewalks in the Treasure Valley, drops rippling on glassy reflective surfaces, all because of sprinkler jets overshooting the grass and landing on pavement.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
Ukraine pounds Russia with long-range strikes At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia.

— Volodymyr Yurchuk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of pounds

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messes over

messes (up)

messes (with)

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“Messes (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messes%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of messes (up)

verb

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