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Synonyms

mess with

Idioms  

  1. Interfere or associate with; also, annoy, bother. For example, Our group won't mess with those street musicians, or I told him not to mess with me or there would be trouble. [Colloquial; c. 1900]

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 any attempt to mess with roads or car parks comes loaded with risk.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

Ronnie Chieng plays a more successful agent who loves, or lives, to mess with Monica.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

In its 83rd year, the Golden Globes know not to mess with a good thing.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

Washington would be foolish to mess with it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

I have already mentioned how kids at school didn’t mess with Branwell.

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

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.