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

“That’s not how you sing it, don’t mess up our language like that,” Jonasi says, before singing the correct lyrics in Zulu.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

"It's symbolic now. It's reminder that you can mess up but you can always move forward," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

You do your best, or sometimes you just mess up and something bad happens, and you’ve got to have something holding you up.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz