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mess

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A large number or amount or extent.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

mehs
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈmɛs

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. often followed by `of'

    A large number or amount or extent

  2. colloquial

    A large quantity or number

  3. A thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation

  4. A meal eaten in a mess hall by service personnel

  5. A building or room in which mess is eaten.

  6. india

    A type of restaurant characterized by homely-style cooking and food.

verb

  1. transitiveoften used with "up"

    To make untidy or dirty.

  2. To make soiled by defecating.

  3. To make soiled by ejaculating.

  4. transitiveoften used with "up"

    To throw into disorder or to ruin.

  5. intransitive

    To take meals with a mess.

  6. Make a mess of or create disorder in

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
General and technical use

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A large number or amount or extent

Used this way, mess is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Negative
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Gentle
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Serious and weighty
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use mess

  • “The house was a mess.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Large / number

whole messbig mess

Meal / building

mess hall

Other combinations

bloody messreal mess

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • slew

    A large amount.

  • spate

    A large number or amount or extent.

  • mass

    A large body of individuals, especially persons.

  • pile

    A large amount of money.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • mess aroundverbCompound term

    Do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly.

  • mess aboutverbCompound term

    Be about.

  • mess jacketnounCompound term

    Waist-length jacket tapering to a point at the back.

  • mess kitnounCompound term

    Kit containing a metal dish and eating utensils.

  • mess of pottagenounCompound term

    Anything of trivial value.

  • mess-upnounCompound term

    Something badly botched or muddled.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: large number or amount or extent

mussfixjam

verb

Sense: to make untidy or dirty

mess upmuss

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.