mess with

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.

He called the operations in Ecuador a “giant mess with no exit strategy.”

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2026

“When we go public on something, we have to go really hard,” Chadwick said in an interview, adding that it is necessary “so people know not to mess with you.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Ronnie Chieng plays a more successful agent who loves, or lives, to mess with Monica.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

She previously told the court Pitt had a reputation in Weston-super-Mare "as a big name and someone you wouldn't mess with".

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

It was nuclear, which always involved a lot of equipment and prep work, and besides that, we really couldn’t mess with Ukraine’s history without a sanction from their Glitch department.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin