Word of the Day: Mess
The word “mess” can be a verb or a noun. It describes disorganization and problems.
As a verb, it’s often used with the preposition “up”:
- The children messed up their play area very quickly.
- Tom messed up his test. (He didn’t do well.)
- “Try not to mess yourself up before our guests arrive,” said the mother to her children.
- The wind messed up my hair.
When the preposition “with” is used with “mess” it has a few different meanings.
- Don’t mess with that guy. He’s mean. (Don’t disturb him or else he might hurt you.)
- Don’t mess with that. (Don’t touch that.)
- I’m just messing with you. (I’m just kidding. What I said wasn’t serious.)
In the next set of sentences, the word “mess” is a noun:
- Tom made a big mess in the kitchen, but he didn’t clean it up.
- This house is a mess.
- The financial crisis has made a big mess for everyone to deal with.
- Andrea’s life is a mess. She needs a lot of support from family and friends.
- Our neighborhood was a mess after the storm.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with M page to see the list of all words starting with letter M. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
