mess
noun
a dirty, untidy, or disordered condition.
had been messing
-
past perfect progressiveof mess.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
On the night of the attack, Esther had been messing about with a male friend, the pair pushing each other around in trolleys.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2023
A lot of economists and journalists suspected that seasonal adjustments had been messing with the numbers, but maybe not quite to this extent.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2022
Hardy told the court he had been "messing around to lighten the mood" and thought the "doll" belonged to Elsie Rose's older sister.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2016
One day in 1976, Paul brought by a black guitar that he had been messing with at home.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2015
What Shifa hadn’t told Zheng was that Razi was supposed to have gone with their father that day but had been messing around with his friends and been too late.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
