1. the act of eating meals together, especially in military or institutional settings
Usage: military; institutional

1. present participle of mess; making something dirty or untidy
2. interfering with or tampering with something
Usage: informal

Examples

• Stop messing with the radio controls.
• The kids were messing around in the backyard.
• She’s messing up her room again.
• The soldiers gathered for messing in the cafeteria.
• Don’t go messing with things you don’t understand.
• The cat is messing with the yarn ball.
• Military messing follows strict schedules.