[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/mess/)

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# mess

noun (a mess, messes; mess, uncountable); verb (mess, messes, messed, messing — mess up, mess about/around, mess with)

«mess» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A mess is a place or things that are untidy or dirty, like a messy bedroom. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#m1)
2. A mess is also a bad or confusing situation with problems. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#m2)
3. To mess something up means to make it untidy or to spoil it or get it wrong. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#m3)
4. To mess about or mess around means to play or behave in a silly way instead of working. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#m4)
5. To mess with something means to touch or change it when you should not. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#m5)
6. A mess is also a room where soldiers or sailors eat, and an animal's droppings can be called mess. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#m6)

### In the lessons

Everyday life: tidying up a mess, cleaning up a spill, «Who made this mess?». In class: «stop messing about», «I messed up my sum, so I'll start again» — mistakes are normal and can be fixed. Safety: «Don't mess with matches, plugs or medicines». Phrases: «make a mess», «clean up the mess», «in a mess», «what a mess», «mess up», «mess about/around», «mess with».

### Examples

- Your bedroom is a mess! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x1)
- Who made this mess on the kitchen floor? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x2)
- I spilt paint and made a big mess. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x3)
- Please clean up your mess before lunch. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x4)
- I messed up the first question, so I rubbed it out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x5)
- Stop messing about and finish your work. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x6)
- Don't mess with the oven knobs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x7)
- The game was a mess after it started to rain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x8)
- The puppy left a mess on the carpet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x9)
- "Woe is me," thinks the Pope; "here's a mess!" [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/#x10)

### Note

As untidiness it can be countable («a mess») or uncountable («some mess»). Adjective: «messy». «Mess up» is informal; in polite writing use «spoil» or «get wrong». «Messing about» (UK) = «messing around» (US). A mistake is not the end; you can fix a mess.

## In Jewish tradition

King David sends food to Uriah in the story of Bathsheba, hoping he will go home to his wife.

**Interpretation.** Tradition reads the gift as part of David's plan to hide his sin. Uriah refuses to go home and so the plan fails.

### Examples

- And David said to Uriah: 'Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet.' And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king. (Prophets 2SA.11.8, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/M/mess/#x1)

### Note

As untidiness it can be countable («a mess») or uncountable («some mess»). Adjective: «messy». «Mess up» is informal; in polite writing use «spoil» or «get wrong». «Messing about» (UK) = «messing around» (US). A mistake is not the end; you can fix a mess.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «mess» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/mess/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mess» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/mess.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «mess» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/M/mess/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«mess» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/mess.html) on Mova free.