mess

noun
UK: /mes/
US: /mes/

  1. A dirty or untidy state.

    1. The kitchen is a mess after the party. [ ] [ ]
    2. His room was always a mess, clothes everywhere, books piled high. [ ] [ ]

  2. A situation that is confused and difficult to deal with.

    1. The company is in a mess because of bad management. [ ] [ ]
    2. The peace talks ended in a mess, with both sides blaming each other. [ ] [ ]

  3. An amount of something, often unpleasant or unwanted.

    1. The dog made a mess on the carpet. [ ] [ ]
    2. Don't make a mess when you're eating your ice cream. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

litter disorder muddle clutter chaos jumble
mess verb

  1. To make something dirty or untidy.

    1. Don't mess with my hair. [ ] [ ]
    2. The kids messed up the living room while playing. [ ] [ ]

  2. To spoil or ruin something.

    1. Don't mess up this opportunity, it's important. [ ] [ ]
    2. He messed up the presentation and the project was canceled. [ ] [ ]

  3. To interfere with something without permission or good reason.

    1. Don't mess with things that are not yours. [ ] [ ]
    2. Someone had been messing with her computer settings again. [ ] [ ]
mess intransitive-verb

  1. To eat a meal, especially in a group or communal setting.

    1. The soldiers mess together in the dining hall. [ ] [ ]
    2. We always mess together when we are on a camping trip. [ ] [ ]
mess plural-noun

  1. A place where members of a military unit eat or relax.

    1. The soldiers gathered in the mess for dinner. [ ] [ ]
    2. He was often seen in the officers' mess, chatting and relaxing. [ ] [ ]
mess idiom

  1. A situation that is very bad or difficult to deal with.

    1. The company is in a real mess. [ ] [ ]
    2. After the storm, the town was a complete mess. [ ] [ ]
mess phrasal-verb

  1. To interfere in something without knowledge.

    1. Don't mess around with electrical wires. [ ] [ ]
    2. He was messing around with the radio and broke it. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "mess" in English means: A dirty or untidy state., A situation that is confused and difficult to deal with., An amount of something, often unpleasant or unwanted..

The phonetic transcription of "mess" is /mes/ in British English and /mes/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "mess": litter, disorder, muddle, clutter, chaos, jumble.

Example usage of "mess": "The kitchen is a mess after the party.". More examples on the page.