mess-up

[ mes-uhp ]

noun

1. a blunder; state of confusion; mix-up.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mess-up¹

First recorded in 1900–05; noun use of verb phrase mess up

Example Sentences

"What Alan Garten did here is a pretty significant mess-up and again, as you just appropriately stated, it corroborates everything that I said."

From Salon

The prime minister has accepted he made a mistake but this mess-up is likely to stick with him.

From BBC

“There was no conspiracy. This was a mess-up. This was a goof,” he said.

From Washington Post

"But it's different for each mess-up, you know?!"

From BBC

“I never got to say I’m really sorry that this happened, or I really own that this was a big mess-up on everybody’s part,” she said.

From Washington Post