mess-up
[ mes-uhp ]
/ ˈmɛsˌʌp /
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noun
a blunder; state of confusion; mix-up.
QUIZ
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Origin of mess-up
First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase mess up
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mess-up in a sentence
Other Idioms and Phrases with mess-up
mess up
Create disorder in; muddle or ruin. For example, On rainy days the children really mess up the house, or He had a way of messing up his own business. [c. 1900]
Make a mistake, especially from nervousness or confusion, as in He messed up and took the wrong dossier to the meeting, or Jill swore she would never mess up again. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
Beat up, manhandle, as in Joe got messed up in a barroom brawl. [Slang; early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.