messes up
Gets it wrong
To mess up is to make mistakes or handle something badly: I really messed up that job interview.
It can mean to damage or disarrange: Don't mess up your hair.
Someone who messes up fails to meet expectations or ruins an opportunity.
The phrase carries less weight than stronger alternatives—it's disappointment rather than disaster.
- flubClumsy error
- bungleFail through clumsiness
- mishandleManage incompetently or roughly
- drops the ballFails a key responsibility
- blunderFoolish, costly mistake
botch · screws the pooch · fumble · wreck · train wreck · screw up · goofs · ruin · drop · faux pas · err · misstep · mismanage · slip-up · falls flat · break · falls apart · miscalculation
success/failure in execution
messes upnails it
Performs something flawlessly
succeeds · comes through · delivers · hits the mark · manages
mess, messy, mishap, messed, messes, messiness, messing, messily, mess-up