MESS

(UNTIDINESS) [noun] - a state of untidiness, dirtiness or lack of organizationThe sweets she had left in the back of the car had melted into a huge sticky mess. [C]Can you clear up that mess you made in the kitchen? [U]I always make a mess when I try to cook anything. [U]You look a mess - you can't go out like that! [U]The room was a mess of clothes and paper which had been scattered all over the floor. [U]My brother's house is always in a mess. [U]If you describe a situation as a mess, you mean it is full of problems and difficulties.She said that her life was a mess. [U]The company has called in a team of accountants to sort out the mess. [U]I've got myself into a bit of a mess by telling a lie. [U]She was constantly trying to get her brother out of the messes he had gotten himself into. [C]The company's finances are in a mess. [U]A person can be a mess if their life is full of problems and difficulties they cannot deal with.She's a real mess - twice divorced, hooked on drugs and now living on the streets!An animal's mess is its excrement.Fido has left another mess on the carpet.The council will fine owners who do not clear up their dog's mess in public places.If you make a mess of something, you do it badly or spoil it.I've made a real mess of my exams.She despairs of the way that human society has made such a mess of the Earth. [T](informal) A mess-up is a something which has been done badly.He made a real mess-up of the sales figures.