mess with
phrasal verb
messed with; messing with; messes with
informal
1
: to cause trouble for (someone) : to deal with (someone) in a way that may cause anger or violence
I wouldn't want to mess with him.
You'd better not be messing with me.
2
chiefly US
: to deal with or be involved with (something that causes or that could cause trouble)
The company doesn't want to mess with small distributors.
He doesn't want to mess with cocaine anymore.
3
: to handle or play with (something) in a careless way : to mess around with (something)
Don't mess with the camera.
Examples of mess with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
People would mess with the cars—putting traffic cones on top of the vehicles so the robo-taxis would pull over, or throwing rocks at the windshields.
—
Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 May 2024
That must really mess with your head… Drew Van Acker dabbled in a handful of acting gigs before taking over the role of Jason DeLaurentis from Parker Bagley after season 1.
—EW.com, 9 May 2024
Now, here's the bad news: There are many wrong ways and decisions, both small and large, can mess with the harmony of any family trip.
—Christine Sarkis, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
That’s it: There are no gels or liquids to mess with and no need to leave a patch or adhesive strip on for long periods of time.
—Lacey Muinos, Verywell Health, 3 May 2024
Similarly, shoveling food down quickly can also mess with the digestive process.
—Marygrace Taylor, SELF, 2 May 2024
Pluto retrograde will commence on May 2 and last until Oct. 11
After dealing with the aftermath of Mercury retrograde, Pluto retrograde is coming to mess with your plans.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Booze wreaks havoc on two of them, in particular, which messes with the rest of them overall.
—Ali Finney, SELF, 19 Apr. 2024
Or from somebody messing with him, or — worse — somebody trying to swindle him.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 May 2024
That must really mess with your head… Drew Van Acker dabbled in a handful of acting gigs before taking over the role of Jason DeLaurentis from Parker Bagley after season 1.
—EW.com, 9 May 2024
Now, here's the bad news: There are many wrong ways and decisions, both small and large, can mess with the harmony of any family trip.
—Christine Sarkis, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024
That’s it: There are no gels or liquids to mess with and no need to leave a patch or adhesive strip on for long periods of time.
—Lacey Muinos, Verywell Health, 3 May 2024
Similarly, shoveling food down quickly can also mess with the digestive process.
—Marygrace Taylor, SELF, 2 May 2024
Pluto retrograde will commence on May 2 and last until Oct. 11
After dealing with the aftermath of Mercury retrograde, Pluto retrograde is coming to mess with your plans.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 1 May 2024
Booze wreaks havoc on two of them, in particular, which messes with the rest of them overall.
—Ali Finney, SELF, 19 Apr. 2024
Or from somebody messing with him, or — worse — somebody trying to swindle him.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mess with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to mess with
Dictionary Entries Near mess with
Cite this Entry
“Mess with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess%20with. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share