Pronunciation: /mɛs ʌp/

Definitions of mess up

noun a state of disorder or confusion

Example Sentences

A1 I made a mess up in the kitchen and spilled flour everywhere.

A2 He always seems to make a mess up of things when he's in a rush.

B1 The mess up in the presentation was due to a technical error with the projector.

B2 The CEO's mess up in handling the situation led to a loss of trust from the shareholders.

C1 The government's mess up of the healthcare system has caused widespread dissatisfaction among citizens.

C2 The artist's latest exhibition was a complete mess up, with critics panning it as a failure.

verb to make a mistake or error

Example Sentences

A1 I always mess up my hair when I try to style it myself.

A2 Don't worry if you mess up during the dance routine, just keep going.

B1 I accidentally messed up the recipe by adding too much salt.

B2 She was afraid she would mess up the presentation in front of her colleagues.

C1 Despite his best efforts, he managed to mess up the project with a simple oversight.

C2 The experienced surgeon never expected to mess up during such a routine procedure.

adjective in a state of disorder or confusion

Example Sentences

A1 I mess up my hair every morning.

A2 She always manages to mess up her room before guests arrive.

B1 Don't worry if you mess up during the presentation, just keep going.

B2 The new employee really messed up the project timeline.

C1 His careless mistakes often lead to him messing up important tasks.

C2 The chef's attempt to innovate the menu ended up messing up the restaurant's reputation.

Examples of mess up in a Sentence

formal I hope I don't mess up during the presentation tomorrow.

informal I always manage to mess up when I'm cooking dinner.

slang Don't worry, I won't mess up this time, I promise.

figurative Sometimes life throws us curveballs and we may feel like we've messed up, but it's all part of the journey.

Grammatical Forms of mess up

past tense

messed up

plural

messes up

comparative

more messed up

superlative

most messed up

present tense

mess up

future tense

will mess up

perfect tense

have messed up

continuous tense

is messing up

singular

messes up

positive degree

mess up

infinitive

to mess up

gerund

messing up

participle

messed up

Origin and Evolution of mess up

First Known Use: 1902 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The term 'mess up' likely originated from the Middle English word 'messe' meaning a portion of food or a serving, combined with the word 'up' as a verb indicating disorder or confusion.
Evolution of the word: Originally used in a literal sense to mean to make a mess of something or to create disorder, the term 'mess up' has evolved to also mean to make a mistake or to fail at something.