Meaning

• To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.

  "The afternoon breeze messed up my hair."

• To cause a problem with; to introduce an error or mistake in; to make muddled or confused; spoil; ruin.

  "The change messed something up, and it's not working anymore."

• To botch, bungle; to perform poorly on.

  "Well, I messed up my solo, but otherwise it was a good concert."

• To make a mistake; to do something incorrectly; to perform poorly.

  "He has a hard time getting started because he's afraid he'll mess up."

• To cause (another person) to make unwanted mistakes in a given task, usually through distraction or obnoxious behavior.

  "Stop bumping me! You keep messing me up!"

• To damage; injure.

  "He messed up his elbow at the track meet."

• To manhandle; beat up; rough up.

  "Her brother's friends messed him up a little after he cheated on her."

• To discombobulate, utterly confuse, or confound psychologically; to throw into a state of mental disarray.

  "That girl totally messed me up, man. I'm not sure who I am anymore."