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mess

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The definition of a mess is a dirty or disorderly condition or a cluttered, untidy situation.

(noun)

An example of mess is a bedroom full of moldy food cartons.
An example of mess is a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes.

Mess is defined as to create a dirty or untidy situation.

(verb)

An example of mess is to throw eggs at a car.

See mess in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a portion or quantity of food for a meal or dish
a portion of soft or semiliquid food, as porridge
unappetizing food; disagreeable concoction
1. a group of people who regularly have their meals together, as in the army
2. the meal eaten by such a group
3. the place where it is eaten
a disorderly or confused collection or mass of things; jumble; hodgepodge
1. a state of embarrassment, trouble, difficulty, or confusion; muddle
2. a state of being disorderly, untidy, or dirty
3. ☆ Informal a person in either of these states
Informal a messy or disorderly place or condition: the house is a mess!

Origin: ME messe < OFr mes < L missus, a course (at a meal), orig. pp. of mittere, to send, put: see mission

transitive verb

to supply meals to
to make a mess of; specif., to make dirty, soiled, or untidy; also, to bungle; muddle; botch: often with up

intransitive verb

to eat as one of a mess (sense )
to make a mess
to putter (with)
to meddle (in or with)

See mess in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A disorderly or dirty accumulation, heap, or jumble: left a mess in the yard.
a. A cluttered, untidy, usually dirty condition: The kitchen was a mess.
b. A confused, troubling, or embarrassing condition; a muddle: With divorce and bankruptcy proceedings pending, his personal life was in a mess.
c. One that is in such a condition: clothes that were a mess after painting the ceiling; made a mess of their marriage.
a. An amount of food, as for a meal, course, or dish: cooked up a mess of fish.
b. A serving of soft, semiliquid food: a mess of porridge.
a. A group of people, usually soldiers or sailors, who regularly eat meals together.
b. Food or a meal served to such a group: took mess with the enlistees.
c. A mess hall.

verb messed, mess·ing, mess·es

verb, transitive

To make disorderly or soiled; clutter or foul: a puppy that still messes the floor.
To botch; bungle.

verb, intransitive

To cause or make a mess.
To use or handle something carelessly; fiddle: messed with the blender until he broke it.
To intrude; interfere: messing in the neighbors' affairs.
To take a meal in a military mess.

Phrasal Verbs: mess around Informal To pass time in aimless puttering. To associate casually or playfully: liked to mess around with pals on days off. Informal To be sexually unfaithful. mess up Informal To make a mistake, especially from nervousness or confusion: messed up and dropped the ball. Slang To beat up; manhandle: got messed up in a brawl.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English mes, course of a meal, food, group of people eating together

Origin: , from Old French

Origin: , from Late Latin missus

Origin: , from Latin

Origin: , past participle of mittere, to place

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