mess up

Phrasal Verb BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Casual
Practice this with flashcards, quizzes & audio on WordLoci

Meaning: To make a mistake or ruin something

搞砸、弄糟
Estropear, meter la pata
台無しにする、しくじる
망치다, 실수하다

To do something wrong or spoil a situation.

做错事或破坏局面。
Cometer un error o arruinar una situación.
間違いをする、または状況を台無しにすること。
잘못하거나 상황을 망치는 것을 의미한다.
Base verb: mess
Particle: up
Separable: Yes — the object can go between the verb and particle

Examples

  1. I really messed up this time.
    这次我真的搞砸了。
    Esta vez realmente la he liado.
    今回は本当にやらかした。
    이번에는 정말 실수했다.
  2. Don't mess it up!
    别搞砸了!
    ¡No lo estropeéis!
    台無しにしないで!
    망치지 마!
  3. She messed up the presentation.
    她把演示搞砸了。
    Estropeó la presentación.
    彼女はプレゼンを台無しにした。
    그녀는 발표를 망쳤다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: mistakes, errors

Tone: regretful

✓ Do Say

  • I messed up
    我搞砸了
    La he liado
    しくじった
    내가 실수했어

Origin & History

From creating a mess.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

More From This Topic

come up ★★★★★ To arise or occur unexpectedly screw up ★★★★★ To make a serious mistake run into ★★★★★ To encounter problems unexpectedly turn out ★★★★★ To have a particular result break down ★★★★★ To analyze into smaller parts work out ★★★★★ To have a successful result
X / Twitter WhatsApp Facebook

More from Problems & Solutions

Practice "mess up" on WordLoci

Flashcards, quizzes, audio pronunciation & spaced repetition — all free