1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
messed up the drawing and had to start over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
a nap had messed up her hair and she looked a sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stumbled
to make a mistake
if anyone messes up even once while we're recording, we have to start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in licked
to strike repeatedly
threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed (up)
Verb
-
Maye tossed eight interceptions and fumbled eight times last season.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026 -
Dart fumbled a shotgun snap on the goal line in a situational period later in the practice.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
And of how Iran’s preparation for this World Cup has been disrupted, this is definitely among the more minor.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Travelers whose flights are disrupted should keep an eye out for change fee waivers and rebooking options from their airline.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Weiss, best known for her work as an opinion journalist and the launch of her site The Free Press, has stumbled in her new role in large part due to a lack of experience with TV operations.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
9 June 2026
-
In the fall of 1995, hunters stumbled on Josette’s bones in the woods near rural Carmel, an hour north of the Bronx.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The district attorney's press release states that Edwards was at the bar with her then-boyfriend, Jordan Hyder, when Vega’s girlfriend unexpectedly licked her face.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
13 Nov. 2025
-
The carcass was gone, the grass and weeds were licked clean of blood, and the knife was buried under debris.—
Marguerite Reiss,
Outdoor Life,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Once the opening whistle blew, all the focus turned to the field.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
-
After someone blew a hole in the Nord Stream Pipeline deep under the Baltic Sea in September 2022, the global media debated a geopolitical whodunnit.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The novel part of the counterclaim is the claim that TP-Link has successfully confused American consumers and retailers about ditching its Chinese ties.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
-
The shirts were polarizing, however, with some fans confused about Swift's attendance.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Britain’s Katie Boulter and Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez tripped over Lacoste signs during their early round matches.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
7 June 2026
-
Drawing 0-0 at home with Brentford in March, the visitors should have conceded a penalty and been put down to 10 men when Tavernier was tripped in the area by Michael Kayode.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Still another round of storms pounded the area Saturday night into Sunday morning, likewise bringing down trees and causing flooding.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
Waves are not expected to be as big as those that pounded the shore last week and led to the deaths of two people.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Messed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
