mess with (something)

mess with (something)
mess with (something) 1. to take apart or fix something complicated esp. in order to learn more about how it works.

I enjoy messing with computers the way some folks get pleasure from rebuilding old cars.

2. to change something in a way that is likely to cause harm.

Crime really messes with the quality of life in a community.

Don't mess with funding for education programs that have a direct impact on student learning.

3. to become involved with something dangerous.

He admitted that he had messed with drugs as a teen.

You wouldn't want to mess with a truckload of mail that might be contaminated.

Related vocabulary: fool with something, fiddle with something, fuss with something

New idioms dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • mess with something — ˈmess with sb/sth derived (usually used in negative sentences) to get involved with sb/sth that may be harmful • I wouldn t mess with him if I were you. • Don t mess with fireworks. Main entry: ↑messderived …   Useful english dictionary

  • mess with — phrasal verb mess with or mess around with [transitive] Word forms mess with : present tense I/you/we/they mess with he/she/it messes with present participle messing with past tense messed with past participle messed with informal 1) mess with… …   English dictionary

  • mess around with something — mess around with (something) to amuse yourself by doing or saying something that is likely to cause trouble. I don t know if I m dealing with a 14 year old messing around with a computer or if I m dealing with organized crime …   New idioms dictionary

  • mess with a bull, you get the horns — If you do something stupid or dangerous, you can get hurt …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • fool with something — fool with (something) 1. to be busy with something without a special purpose. Sammy was always fooling with his model trains. 2. to try to fix or use something complicated. I m not an expert, but I ve spent 14 years fooling with computers and… …   New idioms dictionary

  • fuss with something — fuss with (something) 1. to be busy with something without having a particular purpose. Jack had spent hours fussing with the old car. 2. to try to fix something complicated. It s a mistake to fuss with your computer. Related vocabulary: fool… …   New idioms dictionary

  • fiddle with something — fiddle with (something) 1. to be busy with something without a special purpose. Don t fiddle with the remote control you ll break it! 2. to try to fix or use something complicated. The report says that computer users spend about one third of… …   New idioms dictionary

  • mess around (with something) mess about (with something); — AND monkey around (with something) in. to play with or fiddle with something. □ Don’t mess around with the ashtray. □ You’ l l break it if you don’t stop monkeying around with it …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • mess with someone or something — AND monkey with someone or somethingin. to bother or interfere with someone or something. □ Come on, don’t monkey with it. □ Don’t mess with me unless you want trouble …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • mess about with something — Go to ess around (with something) …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”