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

The combination of low air pressure and cabin dryness dulls taste buds and messes with our odor receptors, leading to a decrease in sweet and salty flavor detection of about 30%. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2024

Some of these can mess with hormones, affect reproductive health, increase the risk of some cancers and cause metabolic problems like obesity, among other things. —Will Stone, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024

Of course, this involves Texas — which might not like being messed with, but apparently doesn’t mind messing with others. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024

These large-capacity upright vacuums tackle pet hair and big messes with ease, and Walmart’s sale has so many options from top brands like Hoover and Shark. —Rachel Trujillo, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024