messed up
Americanadjective
-
beaten up; looking disarrayed.
-
confused and unhappy.
-
intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But last year during her annual benefits renewal, one of her employers messed up a number on the required paperwork.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026
"I messed up at the start," he told BBC Sport.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026
"We've messed up on a grand scale and now the onus is on this group of guys to turn it around and put in two solid performances."
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
However, thousands of sidewalk gawkers messed up the audio, making the footage unusable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
Josie figured if grown-ups had to work so hard to tell kids that everything was okay, that probably meant everything was messed up, and the grown-ups were scared, too.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
