mess up
phrasal verbmess up | mess something up
- to fail at something or do it badly
- I've really messed up this time.
- If you cancel now you'll mess up all my arrangements.
mess somebody up
- (informal) to cause somebody to have serious emotional or mental health problems
- (North American English, informal) to physically hurt somebody, especially by hitting them
- He was messed up pretty bad by the other guy.
mess something up
- to make something dirty or untidy
- I don't want you messing up my nice clean kitchen.