| Principal Translations |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
| mess n | (dirty condition) | suciedad nf |
| | (coloquial) | porquería nf |
| | (coloquial) | desastre nm |
| | Most of the house was spotless, but the bathroom was a mess. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. ¿Y quién va a limpiar toda la suciedad que dejaron los niños en la cocina? |
| | Casi toda la casa estaba impecable, pero el baño era un desastre. |
| a mess (of [sth]) n | (disorder) | un desorden de algo loc nom m |
| | | un lío de algo loc nom m |
| | His desk was a mess of papers and books. |
| | Su escritorio era un desorden de papeles y libros. |
| mess n | (jumble) | desorden nm |
| | | lío nm |
| | Look at the mess on your desk! |
| | ¡Mira todo es desorden en tu escritorio! |
| mess n | figurative (disorder) | caos nm inv |
| | | desastre, lío nm |
| | (AR, BO, CL, UY) | quilombo nm |
| | This project is a mess. It is going to take me days to fix it. |
| | Este proyecto es un caos. Me llevará días arreglarlo. |
| mess n | figurative (difficult situation) | lío nm |
| | | problema nm |
| | The most famous line from Laurel and Hardy is, "That's another fine mess you've got me into!" |
| | La frase más famosa de Laurel y Hardy es: "Me has vuelto a meter en un bonito lío." |
| Locuciones verbales |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
mess around,
also UK: mess about vi phrasal | informal (be frivolous) | tontear⇒ vi |
| | (AR: coloquial) | boludear⇒ vi |
| | (ES: coloquial) | trastear⇒ vi |
| | (AR, PE: vulgar) | huevear⇒ vi |
| | Stop messing around and let's discuss this seriously. |
| | Deja de tontear y discutamos esto en serio. |
| | Dejá de boludear y discutamos esto en serio. |
mess around,
also UK: mess about vi phrasal | informal (be unproductive) | perder el tiempo loc verb |
| | | hacer el tonto loc verb |
| | (ES: coloquial) | hacer el bandarra loc verb |
| | My husband is messing around in the garage - I've no idea what he's doing in there. |
| | Mi marido anda perdiendo el tiempo en el garaje, y no tengo ni idea de lo que hace ahí dentro. |
mess around with [sth],
also UK: mess about with [sth] vi phrasal + prep | informal (tamper, play with) | jugar con vi + prep |
| | He enjoyed messing around with boats. |
| | Le gusta jugar con botes. |
mess around with [sth],
also UK: mess about with [sth] vi phrasal + prep | informal (spoil by fussing) (coloquial) | meterle mano a loc verb + prep |
| | (ES: coloquial) | trastear con vi + prep |
| | Your painting is fine now; don't mess around with it any more or you will ruin it. |
| | Tu pintura está bien así; deja de meterle mano o vas a arruinarla. |
mess around with [sb],
also UK: mess about with [sb] vi phrasal + prep | slang (tease) (coloquial) | tomarle el pelo a loc verb + prep |
| | | bromear con vi + prep |
| | (AR, BO: coloquial) | cargar a vtr + prep |
| | Why are you so upset? We were just messing around with you. |
| | ¿Por qué estás tan enojado? Solo te estábamos tomando el pelo. |
mess around with [sb],
also UK: mess about with [sb] vi phrasal + prep | slang (have an affair) | tener una aventura con loc verb |
| | | acostarse con v prnl + prep |
| | | engañar con vtr + prep |
| | Helen caught her husband messing around with another woman. |
| | Helen atrapó a su esposo teniendo una aventura con otra mujer. |
mess [sb] around,
also UK: mess [sb] about vtr phrasal insep | slang (treat disrespectfully) | molestar⇒ vtr |
| | | incomodar⇒ vtr |
| Note: Ante complemento directo de persona debe usarse la preposición «a». |
| | I'm sorry to mess you around, but I need to change the date of our meeting. |
| | Perdón por molestarte, pero necesito cambiar la fecha de nuestra reunión. |
mess [sth] up,
mess up [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (make untidy) | desordenar⇒ vtr |
| | | revolver⇒ vtr |
| | (informal) | hacer lío loc verb |
| | The wind messed up the neat piles of papers, scattering them all over the room. |
| | El viento desordenó la pila de papeles, esparciéndolos por toda la habitación. |
mess [sth] up,
mess up [sth] vtr phrasal sep | figurative, informal (spoil, botch) | estropear algo, arruinar algo vtr |
| | | echar a perder algo loc verb |
| | This is important, so try not to mess it up. |
| | Esto es importante, así que trata de no estropearlo. |
| mess up vi phrasal | figurative, slang (make serious mistake) (vulgar) | cagarla loc verb |
| | (informal) | meter la pata loc verb |
| | This is your last chance, so don't mess up! |
| | Es tu última oportunidad: ¡no la cagues! |
| | | echar a perder loc verb |
| | Es tu última oportunidad, ¡no la eches a perder! |
| | | arruinar⇒ vtr |
| | Es tu última oportunidad, ¡no la arruines! |
mess [sb] up,
mess up [sb] vtr phrasal sep | figurative, slang (cause emotional problems) | dañar a vtr + prep |
| | (vulgar) | joder a, cagar a vtr + prep |
| | The death of Charlotte's boyfriend really messed her up. |
| | A Charlotte de verdad la dañó la muerte de su novio. |
| mess with [sb] vtr phrasal insep | slang (anger) | hacer enojar a loc verb + prep |
| | | molestar⇒ vtr |
| | (AR: coloquial) | boludear⇒ vtr |
| | Don't mess with Stan because he'll smash your face in. |
| | No hagas enojar a Stan porque te golpeará. |
| mess with [sb] vtr phrasal insep | slang (tease) | molestar⇒, fastidiar⇒ vtr |
| | (AmL: vulgar) | joder⇒ vtr |
| | It's just so much fun to mess with him! |
| | ¡Es muy divertido molestarlo (or: fastidiarlo)! |
| mess with [sth] vtr phrasal insep | slang (meddle with) | meterse en v prnl + prep |
| | | entrometerse en v prnl + prep |
| | I'm sick of you messing with things that don't concern you! |
| | ¡Estoy harto de que te metas en cosas que no te competen! |
Compound Forms:
mess | mess hall |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
| a bit of a mess n | UK, informal (chaotic) | un desastre art + nm |
| | His love life's a bit of a mess. |
| | Su vida amorosa es un desastre. |
| a bit of a mess n | informal (difficult situation) | un pequeño desastre art + adj + nm |
| | (coloquial) | un pequeño lío art + adj + nm |
| | To say that the economy is in a bit of a mess is putting it mildly. |
| | Decir que la economía está hecha un pequeño desastre sería poco. |
| a bit of a mess n | informal (place: untidy) (coloquial) | un desastre art + nm |
| | (coloquial) | un desmadre art + nm |
| | My house is a bit of a mess, but please come in. |
| | La casa está hecha un desastre, pero por favor pasa. |
| | | un caos art + nm |
| | | un desorden art + nm |
| | | un lío art + nm |
| | La casa está hecha un caos, pero por favor pasa. |
| a fine mess n | informal (situation: awkward) | gran lío adj + nm |
| | (AmL) | problema nm |
| | The lies we told got us into a fine mess when everyone found out the truth. |
| | Now you've done it! Look at the fine mess you've gotten us into. |
| | Las mentiras que contamos nos metieron en un gran lío cuando todos se enteraron de la verdad. // Ahora ya lo hiciste; fíjate en qué gran lío nos has metido. |
| | (ES, coloquial) | buen follón adj + nm |
| | (ES, coloquial) | embolado nm |
| | (AR, UY, coloquial) | quilombo nm |
| | Las mentiras que contamos nos metieron en un buen follón cuando todos se enteraron de la verdad. |
| a mess of pottage n | figurative (paltry sum) | una miseria loc nom f |
| | (for a mess of pottage) | por un plato de lentejas loc adv |
| | You are offering nothing but a mess of pottage. |
| bloody mess n | (scene: gory) | escena sangrienta nf + adj |
| | (coloquial) | carnicería nf |
| | The body had been horrifically mutilated; it was a bloody mess. |
| | El cuerpo había sido mutilado terriblemente; era una carnicería. |
| bloody mess n | potentially offensive, informal, UK (job: incompetent) | porquería nf |
| | (ES) | chapuza nf |
| | (PR) | chapucería nf |
| | (MX: coloquial) | chingadera nf |
| | You've made a bloody mess of the whole situation. |
| | ¡Hiciste que la situación se volviera una porquería! |
| bloody mess n | potentially offensive, informal, UK (place: untidy) (coloquial) | leonera nf |
| | (coloquial) | pocilga nf |
| | (AmL: coloquial) | chiquero nm |
| | This place is a bloody mess! It hasn't been tidied in weeks. |
| | ¡Este lugar es una leonera! No lo han limpiado en semanas. |
| bloody mess n | potentially offensive, informal, UK (disorder) | caos nm inv |
| | (coloquial) | desmadre nm |
| | (AmL: coloquial) | despelote nm |
| | (AR, BO, CL, UY) | quilombo nm |
| | The cataloguing system was a bloody mess, you couldn't find anything. |
| | El sistema de clasificación era un caos y uno no podía encontrar nada. |
| have your hair in a mess v expr | (be dishevelled) | estar despeinado loc verb |
| | Sarah's clothes were covered in mud and she had her hair in a mess. |
| | | tener el cabello hecho un lío, tener el cabello revuelto loc verb |
| | (AR, coloquial) | tener un nido de caranchos expr |
| in a mess adj | (untidy, disordered) | hecho un lío loc adj |
| | | desordenado/a adj |
| | | hecho un desastre loc adj |
| | My son's bedroom is in a mess. |
| | La habitación de mi hijo está hecha un lío. |
| in a mess adv | informal (in a difficult situation) (AR, coloquial) | enquilombado adj |
| | (ES, coloquial) | en un momento delicado loc adj |
| | | xx loc adj |
| | The World economy is in a mess. |
| | La economía mundial está enquilombada. |
| make a mess v expr | (create disorder or dirt) (coloquial) | hacer un desastre loc verb |
| | (coloquial) | hacer un lío loc verb |
| | You can have your mates round for the evening so long as you promise not to make a mess. |
| | The kids have been making chocolate cake and they've made a mess with the batter in the kitchen. |
| | Puedes invitar a tus amigos esta tarde siempre y cuando no hagan un desastre. // Los niños están haciendo un pastel de chocolate e hicieron un desastre con la mezcla en la cocina. |
| make a mess of [sth] v expr | (make [sth] disordered or dirty) | desordenar algo vtr |
| | (coloquial) | hacer un desastre en algo loc verb + prep |
| | (coloquial) | poner algo patas arriba loc verb |
| | Don't make a mess of my nice clean living room. |
| | No desordenen mi hermoso salón. |
| | No hagan un desastre en mi hermoso salón. |
| make a mess of [sth] v expr | (get [sth] wrong) | arruinar algo vtr |
| | (coloquial) | hacer un desastre en algo loc verb + prep |
| | The new guy has made a mess of this project; I'm going to have to redo it all. |
| | El nuevo arruinó este proyecto y ahora voy a tener que volver a hacerlo todo. |
| mess kit n | (military: cooking utensils) | kit de cocina nm + loc adj |
| | The troops were standing in line with their mess kits, waiting to eat. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Como a mi hermana le gusta ir de campamento, le regalaré un kit de cocina ideal para el campo. |
| mess tin n | (military: metal dish) | sartén portátil n amb + adj mf |
| | (para camping) | sartén de camping n amb + loc adj |
mess up [sb]'s hair,
mess [sb]'s hair up v expr | informal (make [sb]'s hair untidy) | despeinar⇒ vtr |
| | | alborotar el cabello, alborotar el pelo loc verb |
| | Don't mess up my hair - I've only just come from the hairdressers! |
| | No me despeines, ¡recién vengo de la peluquería! |
| mess with [sth] vi + prep | (tamper) | jugar con vi + prep |
| | Don't mess with those papers – I've just put them in order. |
| | ¡No juegues con esos papeles! Los acabo de ordenar. |
| mess with [sth] vi + prep | informal (become involved with) (informal) | meterse en v prnl + prep |
| | When he started messing with drugs, everything went downhill. |
| | Cuando empezó a meterse en las drogas, todo se vino abajo. |
| mess-up n | informal (mistake, blunder) | equivocación nf |
| | | error nm |
| | There was a mess-up with our hotel booking and we had to find somewhere else to stay. |
| | Hubo una equivocación con nuestra reserva del hotel y tuvimos que encontrar otro lugar donde quedarnos. |
