mess

Noun · Verb
Synonyms: messinessmussmussinessfixholejammuddlepicklekettle of fishmess hallbatchdeal

WordNet 3.0

Noun (6)

  1. a state of confusion and disorderliness“the house was a mess”“she smoothed the mussiness of the bed”Synonyms: messinessmussmussiness
  2. informal terms for a difficult situation“he got into a terrible fix”“he made a muddle of his marriage”Synonyms: fixholejammuddlepicklekettle of fish
  3. soft semiliquid food“a mess of porridge”
  4. a meal eaten in a mess hall by service personnel
  5. a (large) military dining room where service personnel eat or relaxSynonyms: mess hall
  6. (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent“a batch of letters”“a deal of trouble”“a lot of money”“he made a mint on the stock market”“see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos”“it must have cost plenty”“a slew of journalists”“a wad of money”Synonyms: batchdealflockgood dealgreat dealhatfulheaplotmassmicklemintmountainmucklepasselpeckpileplentypotquite a littleraftsightslewspatestacktidy sumwad

Verb (2)

  1. eat in a mess hall
  2. make a mess of or create disorder in“He messed up his room”Synonyms: mess up
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Mess \Mess\ (m[e^]s), n. Mass; church service. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
Mess \Mess\ (m[e^]s), n. [OE. mes, OF. mets, LL. missum, p. p. of mittere to put, place (e. g., on the table), L. mittere to send. See Mission, and cf. Mass religious service.]

1.A quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for a person or party for one meal; as, a mess of pottage; also, the food given to a beast at one time. [1913 Webster]

At their savory dinner set Of herbs and other country messes.— Milton.[1913 Webster]

2.A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common; especially, persons in the military or naval service who eat at the same table; as, the wardroom mess. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3.A set of four; -- from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner. [Obs.] --Latimer. [1913 Webster]

4.The milk given by a cow at one milking. [U.S.] [1913 Webster]

5.[Perh. corrupt. fr. OE. mesh for mash: cf. muss.] A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; as, he made a mess of it. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

Mess \Mess\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Messed; p. pr. & vb. n. Messing.] To take meals with a mess; to belong to a mess; to eat (with others); as, I mess with the wardroom officers. --Marryat. [1913 Webster]
Mess \Mess\, v. t.

1.To supply with a mess. [1913 Webster]

2.To make a mess[5] of; to disorder or muddle; to muss; to jumble; to disturb; to mess up. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

It was n't right either to be messing another man's sleep.— Scribner's Mag.[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
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