How to Use mess with in a Sentence

mess with

phrasal verb
  • The trio go to great lengths the entire episode to mess with Wilson.
    Marianne Garvey, CNN, 6 Feb. 2024
  • The Big Ten could expand to 100 teams and no one would mess with that cash cow.
    Nathan Baird, cleveland, 5 Aug. 2023
  • Talk about the easiest way to look sleek (and not to be messed with).
    Marykate Boylan, Town & Country, 22 Aug. 2023
  • The bull was yanking against the knotted mess with all its might to no avail.
    Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 4 Oct. 2023
  • No need to mess with ice packs because they're built right in.
    Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Aug. 2023
  • When things seem to be going well, the instinct is to not mess with it.
    Matt Lowe, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
  • But for 50 games, 50 times a year messing with the traffic.
    Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
  • This served as a message about not messing with the mine.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
  • His pots were messed with, and someone put racial slurs on one of his buoys.
    Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
  • The best places to drink in 2024 Why mess with something that is already good?
    Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 29 June 2024
  • Her message was clear, and pointed: Don't mess with the Doll.
    Mary Spicuzza, Journal Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2024
  • Clearly, Kendall Jenner—and Alaïa—know not to mess with a good thing.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2024
  • But in a Crichton novel, that petri dish must be messed with.
    Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
  • But Agatha All Along is messing with all of our heads with hints and counter-hints this early.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
  • Steven Moffat’s writing doesn’t need to be messed with.
    Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Olympic swimmers don’t like to mess with their routines.
    Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 24 July 2024
  • Kim, meanwhile, doesn’t mess with cilantro, and Kendall stays away from spicy peppers.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2024
  • And things are going well right now with the other two shows, so why mess with success?
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Don't mess with Ice Spice and Taylor Swift's friendship.
    Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 25 July 2024
  • But model Anok Yai comes into the frame, and the drugs start messing with Scott’s vision.
    Heran Mamo, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2024
  • But deep down, there is that little red buzzer that messes with him, and conflicts him and hurts him.
    Hunter Ingram, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024
  • So, your spouse and child may both have a thing that messes with their volume controls.
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023
  • But the feature goes against our instinct to not mess with a formula that works.
    Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 July 2024
  • Guests have reported seeing a lady in white on the stairs and spirits have been known to mess with the staff.
    Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2023
  • Her hair was a frizzy mess with curly and wavy tendrils poking out at random.
    Gabi Thorne, Allure, 30 Oct. 2023
  • There’s even a seven-layer dip for gamers who know that rolling a seven can mess with your plans.
    Mark Kennedy, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2023
  • Nick was very good at getting into your head and messing with your head.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 28 May 2024
  • Age and life stages can mess with your menstrual cycle, too.
    Anisa Arsenault, Verywell Health, 22 July 2024
  • No more messing with keys or unlocking your phone and opening an app; your phone becomes your key.
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2024
  • This ticks off Elisabeth when parts of her body start withering away and growing exponentially older the more Sue messes with the status quo.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mess with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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