mess up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I like to have my little secret area where I can mess up as many times as I want without any eyes on me.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

When she asks me to place a hand on my heart again, I do, repeating, “I am here. I did not mess up my kid forever. My timing is impeccable.”

From Slate • May 10, 2026

It was almost out of panic and fear both, if we get this wrong — our first movie was a failure — if we mess up, we’ll never be able to tell a story again.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2025

"We did mess up on the first night with a few issues," he said, adding those issues have now been rectified, and those affected by the first couple of shows have been invited back.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025

Leave it to Tariq to mess up my afternoon.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon