- 1[countable, usually singular] a condition in which things are dirty or not neat The room was a mess. The kids made a mess in the bathroom. “What a mess!” she said, surveying the scene after the party. My hair's a real mess!
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difficult situation - 2[countable, usually singular] a situation that is full of problems, usually because of a lack of organization or because of mistakes that someone has made The economy is in a mess. I feel like I made a mess of things. The whole situation is a mess. Let's try to sort out this mess. The biggest question is how they got into this mess in the first place. (ironic) That's another fine mess you've gotten us into.
- 3[singular] a person who is dirty or whose clothes and hair are not neat You're a mess!
- 4[singular] (informal) a person who has serious problems and is in a bad mental condition When my wife left me I was a total mess. animal waste
- 5[uncountable, countable] (informal) the excrement (= solid waste matter) of an animal, usually a dog or cat a lot
- 6[singular] a mess of something (informal) a lot of something There's a mess of fish down there, so get your lines in the water. armed forces
- 7[countable] (also mess hall) a building or room in which members of the armed forces have their meals the officers' mess
dirty state
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