messed up
Americanadjective
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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.
It’s going to be easier for people who messed up on their taxes to get back in the good graces of the IRS.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Because her whole life, she’s been told, ‘You’re wrong, you’ve messed up, you’ve got things wrong.’
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
But in the book, Jill Biden says her husband asked her if he had messed up the debate, and that she replied: "Yes, you did."
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
Trying to tell Nourafchan that he had lost his trading connection, one of the ring members said his “laborers” had messed up the job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Macon had messed up, but Mom had messed up, too.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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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.