Phrasal Verbs with Mess

Mess about (Misbehave):

• They were told not to mess about in class and to focus on their studies.
• The children were messing about in the playground, running and screaming.
• He got into trouble for messing about with the equipment and causing damage.

Mess about (Be in a casual non-committal relationship):

• They were just messing about and not looking for a serious relationship.
• She didn't want to get into a committed relationship and preferred to mess about casually.
• He enjoyed messing about and dating different people without any strings attached.

Mess about (Play with; toy with; waste the time of a person):

• Stop messing about with the remote control and let's watch the movie.
• She enjoys messing about with different art supplies and creating abstract artwork.
• He's always messing about and never takes anything seriously.

Mess around (Fiddle idly):

• He was messing around with his phone during the meeting instead of paying attention.
• They spent the afternoon messing around in the park, playing frisbee and enjoying the sunshine.
• She likes to mess around on the guitar and create her own tunes.

Mess around (Joke, kid, or play):

• They were messing around and teasing each other, laughing and having a good time.
• He enjoys messing around with his friends, telling jokes and playing pranks.
• She likes to mess around and playfully tease her siblings.

Mess around (Have a sexual relationship, especially one which is non-committal):

• They were messing around and keeping their relationship casual without any commitments.
• He was known for messing around with different partners and avoiding serious relationships.
• She didn't want to get emotionally involved and preferred to mess around casually.

Mess up (Make a mess of; untidy, disorder, soil, or muss):

• He messes up his room every time he's looking for something.
• They accidentally mess up the kitchen while cooking, leaving a trail of dirty dishes and spilled ingredients.
• She tends to mess up her workspace when she's working on a creative project.

Mess up (Cause a problem with; introduce an error or mistake in; make muddled or confused; spoil; ruin):

• They managed to mess up the important presentation by forgetting key information.
• He accidentally messes up the computer program by deleting a crucial line of code.
• She realized she had messed up the recipe by adding the wrong ingredient.

Mess up (Botch, bungle; perform poorly on):

• He tends to mess up under pressure and make mistakes.
• They were disappointed with their performance and felt they had messed up the audition.
• She was nervous and ended up messing up her lines during the play.

Mess up (Make a mistake; do something incorrectly; perform poorly):

• He realized he had messed up the math calculation and got the wrong answer.
• They admitted they had messed up and apologized for their error.
• She was frustrated with herself for messing up the important task.

Mess up (Cause another person to make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior):

• He likes to mess up his colleagues by constantly interrupting them during their work.
• They decided to mess him up during the exam by distracting him with noise and disturbances.
• She tried to mess up her opponent's concentration by trash-talking during the game.

Mess up (Damage; injure):

• He accidentally messes up his knee while playing sports and needs medical attention.
• They were involved in a car accident that messed them up and left them with injuries.
• She fell off the ladder and messed up her ankle.
Mess up (Manhandle; beat up; rough up):
• He got into a fight and ended up getting messed up by a group of bullies.
• They warned him not to mess with them, or they would mess him up badly.
• She witnessed a gang of thugs messing up a helpless victim in the alley.
Mess up (Discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; throw into a state of mental disarray):
• He tends to mess up under stress and can't think clearly.
• They tried to mess him up by feeding him false information and confusing him.
• She was emotionally hurt and felt like her breakup messed her up mentally.
Mess with (Interfere with):
• He warned them not to mess with his personal belongings or they would face consequences.
• They decided to mess with the settings on his computer to play a prank on him.
• She didn't want anyone to mess with her plans and tried to protect her ideas.
Mess with (Diss; put down):
• He was known for his quick comebacks and ability to mess with people verbally.
• They didn't appreciate others messing with them and always stood up for themselves.
• She didn't tolerate anyone messing with her self-esteem and shut down negative comments.
Mess with (Joke around with or dupe someone, in either a friendly or unfriendly manner):
• He likes to mess with his friends by playing practical jokes on them.
• They decided to mess with their siblings by hiding their belongings as a prank.
• She enjoys messing with people's minds by creating riddles and puzzles for them to solve.
Remember to use these phrasal verbs appropriately and in the right context. Keep practicing and expanding your vocabulary! Course Home
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