mess

mess¹ S2 [mes] n

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1¦(dirty/untidy)¦

2¦(problems/difficulties)¦

3 make a mess of (doing) something

4¦(person)¦

5 a mess of something

6¦(army/navy)¦

7¦(waste substance)¦

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[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: mes 'food', from Late Latin missus 'course at a meal', from Latin mittere 'to send']

1.) ¦(DIRTY/UNTIDY)¦ [singular, U]

if there is a mess somewhere or a place is a mess, things there are dirty or not neatly arranged

▪ What a mess!

▪ Sorry - the place is a bit of a mess .

▪ When I got home, the house was a complete mess .

in a mess BrE

▪ The burglars left the house in an awful mess.

▪ You can make cookies if you promise not to make a mess in the kitchen.

clear/clean up the mess

▪ Whoever is responsible for this mess can clear it up immediately!

▪ She hates mess.

2.) ¦(PROBLEMS/DIFFICULTIES)¦ [singular, U]

a situation in which there are a lot of problems and difficulties, especially as a result of mistakes or carelessness

▪ My life's such a mess .

in a mess

▪ The economy is still in a terrible mess.

▪ You got us into this mess , Terry. You can get us out of it.

▪ All she could do was pray that, somehow, she might be able to sort out the mess she had got herself into.

3.) make a mess of (doing) sth

to do something badly

▪ I feel I've made a real mess of my marriage.

▪ Many people make a mess of handling money.

4.) ¦(PERSON)¦

be a mess informal

if someone is a mess, they look dirty and untidy, or are in a bad emotional state

5.) a mess of sth

AmE informal a lot of something

▪ a mess of fresh fish

6.) ¦(ARMY/NAVY)¦

a room in which members of the army, navy etc eat and drink together

▪ We had lunch in the officers' mess .

7.) ¦(WASTE SUBSTANCE)¦ [U and C]

BrE informal solid waste from an animal

▪ The dog's made a mess on the carpet.

mess ²

mess² S3 v

1.) [T]

to make something look untidy or dirty

▪ He scratched his head and messed his hair even more.

2.) [I and T] BrE

if an animal or person messes something, they use the wrong place as a toilet

▪ He was so drunk that he messed the bed.

3.) no messing

spoken informal used to say that something was done very easily

▪ Williams won very comfortably, no messing.

4.)

to have meals in a room where members of the army, navy etc eat together

mess around [i]phr v

1.) to spend time lazily, doing things slowly and in a way that is not planned

▪ He spent his vacation messing around on the farm.

2.) to behave in a silly way when you should be paying attention or doing something sensible

= ↑fool around

▪ Stop messing around and get ready for school.

3.) mess sb around

to cause a lot of problems for someone, especially by changing your mind often and not being completely honest

▪ Don't mess me about - I want the money you promised me.

mess around with / [mess around with sb/sth] phr v

1.) to have a sexual relationship with someone that you should not have a sexual relationship with

▪ She'd been messing around with another man.

2.) to spend time playing with something, repairing it etc

▪ Dave likes messing around with old cars.

3.) to use something and make annoying changes to it

▪ Who's been messing around with my camera?

mess up phr v

1.) mess sth<=>up

to spoil or ruin something, especially something important or something that has been carefully planned

▪ It took me ages to get this right - I don't want some idiot to mess it up.

▪ She felt she'd messed up her whole life.

2.) mess sth<=>up

to make something dirty or untidy

▪ Who messed up the kitchen?

3.) to make a mistake and do something badly

▪ I think I messed up on the last question.

mess sth<=>up

▪ It doesn't matter if you mess it up, you can always try again.

4.) mess sb<=>up

to make someone have emotional or mental problems

▪ I messed up my kids.

5.) mess sb<=>up

AmE informal to hurt someone especially by hitting them

mess with / [mess with sb/sth] phr v

1.) to get involved with someone or something that may cause problems or be dangerous

▪ Don't mess with drugs.

2.) to deceive someone or cause trouble for them

▪ You mess with me, and I'll rip your head off.

3.) to try changing something, especially in a way that damages or spoils it