¹mess

noun \ˈmes\

: a very dirty or untidy state or condition

: something or someone that looks very dirty or untidy

: a situation that is very complicated or difficult to deal with

Full Definition of MESS

: a quantity of food:

a archaic : food set on a table at one time

b : a prepared dish of soft food; also : a mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together

c : enough food of a specified kind for a dish or a meal <picked a mess of peas for dinner>

a : a group of persons who regularly take their meals together; also : a meal so taken

b : a place where meals are regularly served to a group : mess hall

a : a disordered, untidy, offensive, or unpleasant state or condition <your room is in a mess>

b : one that is disordered, untidy, offensive, or unpleasant usually because of blundering, laxity, or misconduct <[the movie] is a mess, as sloppy in concept as it is in execution — Judith Crist>

: a large quantity or number

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Origin of MESS

Middle English mes, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin missus course at a meal, from missus, past participle of mittere to put, from Latin, to send — more at smite

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to MESS

Synonyms: chance-medley, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, dishevelment, disorder, disorderedness, disorderliness, disorganization, free-for-all, havoc, heck, hell, jumble, mare's nest, chaos, messiness, misorder, muddle, muss, shambles, snake pit, tumble, welter

Antonyms: order, orderliness

Rhymes with MESS

bless, cess, chess, cress, dress, ess, fess, guess, jess, less, loess, ness, press, s, stress, tress, yes

²mess

verb

Definition of MESS

transitive verb

: to provide with meals at a mess

a : to make dirty or untidy : disarrange —often used with up <don't mess up your room>

b : to mix up : bungle —often used with up <really messed up my life>

: to interfere with —often used with up <magnetic storms that mess up communications — Time>

: to rough up : manhandle —often used with up <mess him up good so he won't cheat us again>

intransitive verb

: to take meals with a mess

: to make a mess

a : putter, trifle <children like to mess around with paints>

b : to handle or play with something especially carelessly <don't mess with my camera> —often used with around

c : to take an active interest in something or someone <messing around with new video techniques>; also : interfere, meddle <messing in other people's affairs> <you'd better not mess with me>

: to become confused or make an error —usually used with up

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