mess up
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle up
Meanings
Spoil or do something badly
Why “up”? Something normal is disturbed. Feelings, systems, machines, or behavior become noisy, troubled, or out of control.
“I really messed up the interview.”
“She messed up the order at the cafe.”
Don't confuse with
Mess up means spoil or do something badly. Mess around means spend time in a careless or playful way.
Test yourself
“I really messed up the interview.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
mess around
A contrast learners often mix up
Spend time in a careless or playful way; Treat someone unfairly or unreliably
act up
Same up pattern: trouble
Behave badly or stop working properly
blow up
Same up pattern: trouble
Explode or be destroyed by an explosion; Inflate something by filling it with air; Suddenly become very angry; Enlarge a photograph or image; (of a storm or argument) develop quickly into something serious
cut up
Same up pattern: trouble
Cut something into smaller pieces; Make someone deeply upset or distressed; Behave in a wild or noisy way to attract attention; Overtake another driver suddenly and dangerously
dig up
Same up pattern: trouble
Remove something from the ground by digging; Discover information that was hidden or forgotten; Damage a surface by tearing into it; Mention or revive something embarrassing from the past
keep up
Same up pattern: trouble
Continue at the same level or rate; Move at the same speed as someone else; Stay informed about something current; Prevent someone from going to bed or sleeping; Prevent something from falling down; Maintain pretences, an appearance or a habit; Match the social or financial standard of others
kick up
Same up pattern: trouble
Cause a fuss or commotion
muddle up
Same up pattern: trouble
Confuse two or more things, often by mistaking one for the other
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Drill “mess up” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
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- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
