mess with

phrasal verb

messed with; messing with; messes with

informal

1

: to cause trouble for (someone) : to deal with (someone) in a way that may cause anger or violence

I wouldn't want to mess with him.

You'd better not be messing with me.

2

chiefly US : to deal with or be involved with (something that causes or that could cause trouble)

The company doesn't want to mess with small distributors.

He doesn't want to mess with cocaine anymore.

3

: to handle or play with (something) in a careless way : to mess around with (something)

Don't mess with the camera.

Examples of mess with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rightfully, Brion is concerned if this ruse has messed with their chips and guac. —Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025

Again, everyone’s hormones and needs are different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when hormones may be messing with your mental health. —Cassie Shortsleeve, SELF, 11 Mar. 2025

But brands aren’t just taking away your favorite formulas to mess with you. —Lindy Segal, Glamour, 7 Mar. 2025

Plus, traffic could be even more of a mess with schools in session. —Nicole Cobler, Axios, 6 Mar. 2025