English verb: mess up | |||
1. | mess up (social) make a mess of, destroy or ruin | ||
Samples | I botched the dinner and we had to eat out. The pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement. | ||
Synonyms | ball up, blow, bobble, bodge, bollix, bollix up, bollocks, bollocks up, botch, botch up, bumble, bungle, flub, fluff, foul up, fuck up, fumble, louse up, mishandle, muck up, muff, screw up, spoil | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s. Somebody ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | fail, go wrong, miscarry | ||
2. | mess up (contact) disturb the smoothness of | ||
Samples | Ruffle the surface of the water. | ||
Synonyms | ruffle, ruffle up, rumple | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | disarrange | ||
3. | mess up (change) make a mess of or create disorder in | ||
Samples | He messed up his room. | ||
Synonyms | mess | ||
Pattern of use | Somebody ----s something. Something ----s something | ||
Broader (hypernym) | disarray, disorder | ||