Definition of "mess" []

• A disorderly or dirty accumulation, heap, or jumble: left a mess in the yard. (noun)
• A cluttered, untidy, usually dirty condition: The kitchen was a mess. (noun)
• A confused, troubling, or embarrassing condition; a muddle: With divorce and bankruptcy proceedings pending, his personal life was in a mess. (noun)
• One that is in such a condition: clothes that were a mess after painting the ceiling; made a mess of their marriage. (noun)
• An amount of food, as for a meal, course, or dish: cooked up a mess of fish. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "By this time our daily mess of food had become a _mess_ in every sense."
• "And cleaning up his mess is a tough duty that I think nobody could instantly fix. 7 months in his admin. and we've seen so drastic changes."
• "Take the ball and run with it this mess is all yours! annie s"