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Showing results for mess with. Search instead for messstifte.
Definitions

mess with

VERB
pester
Synonyms
STRONGEST
annoy badger bedevil hassle hector hound irk nag tease torment
STRONG
beleaguer bug disturb dog fret harry importune insist nudge plague provoke remind ride tantalize worry
WEAK
be at drive crazy drive up the wall get at get in one's hair get on one's nerves get to pick at work on
Antonyms
STRONGEST
delight make happy please
STRONG
aid appease assist calm comfort forget help pacify reassure soothe
VERB
snoop
Synonyms
STRONGEST
intrude peep
STRONG
busybody interfere meddle mouse nose peek peer poke pry snook spy stare
WEAK
poke one's nose in / into
Antonyms
STRONG
ignore leave alone
WEAK
neglect
VERB
tinker
Synonyms
STRONGEST
dabble mess
STRONG
doodle fix monkey niggle play puddle putter repair toy
WEAK
muck about play with take apart trifle with
Antonyms
STRONG
break destroy work
WEAK
leave alone
VERB
trifle
Synonyms
STRONG
coquet dabble dally dawdle dilly-dally doodle fidget flirt fool fritter idle loiter lollygag lounge misuse monkey palter philander play potter putter squander toy twiddle wanton waste
WEAK
amuse oneself be insincere fool around fool with fribble futz around horse around indulge in lead on monkey with play games with play with string along use up waste time wink at
Antonyms
STRONG
hasten hoard hurry push rush save work

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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

The conditions were near farcical, the ball frequently squirming through fingers and set-pieces a mess, with Scotland making the lion's share of blunders.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

You know a Ralph Lauren look when you see it, and Louvet couldn’t mess with that.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

I still want to ask her about dressing up with her other friends, but I don’t want to mess with the good feeling I have about Jace.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.