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mess

Pronunciation: /mɛs/
Translate mess | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of mess

noun

[usually in singular]
  • 1a dirty or untidy state of things or of a place:she made a mess of the kitchen my hair was a mess
  • a thing or collection of things causing a dirty or untidy state:she replaced the jug and mopped up the mess
  • a person who is dirty or untidy:I look a mess
  • [with modifier] used euphemistically to refer to the excrement of a domestic animal:dog mess
  • 2a situation that is confused and full of problems:the economy is still in a terrible mess
  • a person whose life is confused and full of problems:he needs treatment of some kind—he’s a real mess
  • 3a portion of semi-liquid food:a mess of mashed black beans and rice
  • 4a building or room providing meals and recreational facilities for members of the armed forces:the sergeants' mess
  • 5 (a mess of) North American informal a large amount or quantity of: big-time outfits that do a mess of printing

verb

  • 1 [with object] make untidy or dirty:you’ve messed up my beautiful carpet
  • [no object] (of a domestic animal) defecate: they had some problems with dogs messing in the store
  • make dirty by defecating:he feared he would mess the bed
  • 2 [no object, with adverbial] have one’s meals with a particular person, especially as a member of an armed forces' mess:I messed at first with Harry, who became a lifelong friend

Phrases

mess with someone's head

US informal make someone feel frustrated, anxious, or upset: he wasn’t about to let some goddamn punk mess with his head

Phrasal Verbs

mess about/around

behave in a silly or playful way: he lay there snoring so I thought he was messing about and told him to get up
spend time doing something in a pleasantly desultory way:messing about in boats

mess about/around with

interfere with:the minister messed around with health, and look at the state we are in
informal engage in an affair with (someone, especially the partner of another person): Steve was stark-staring paranoid jealous when it came to anyone messing about with his wife don’t mess with my wife

mess someone about/around

British informal cause someone problems, especially by acting unfairly or indecisively: get your own back—make him sorry he ever messed you about!

mess up

informal mishandle a situation:I really messed up

mess someone up

informal cause someone emotional or psychological problems.
US inflict violence or injury on someone: the wreck messed him up so much that he can’t walk

mess something up

informal spoil something by inept handling:an error like that could easily mess up an entire day’s work

mess with

informal meddle or interfere with:stop messing with things you don’t understand

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French mes 'portion of food', from late Latin missum 'something put on the table', past participle of mittere 'send, put'. The original sense was 'a serving of (semi-liquid) food', later 'liquid food for an animal'; this gave rise (early 19th century) to the senses 'unappetizing concoction' and 'predicament', on which sense 1 is based. In late Middle English the term also denoted any of the small groups into which the company at a banquet was divided (who were served from the same dishes); hence, 'a group who regularly eat together' (recorded in military use from the mid 16th century)

mess in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of mess in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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