K5Print Free printable worksheets for K–5

mess

  • noun
  • /mɛs/

a thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation

Other meanings

  1. a person in a state of (especially emotional) turmoil or disarray; an emotional wreck

    “Between the pain and the depression, I'm a mess.”

  2. Mass; a church service.

Related words

  • messy
  • mess around
  • hot mess
  • mess about
  • mess-up
  • mess up
  • mess with
  • don't mess with success
  • in a mess
  • mess of greens
  • mess over
  • messer

Example sentences

  • “You were a hot mess back then.”

    Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0

  • “You picked the wrong person to mess with!”

    Tatoeba · ddnktr · CC0

  • “It's really a mess forever!”

    Tatoeba · AmarMecheri · CC0

Word history

From Middle English "mesh" (mash).

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “mess” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.