Break
Break verb - To cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly.
Mess with
Mess with verb - To handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously.
Both terms in one sentence
- We'll make enemies, we'll break laws, we'll break bones, but you will not mess with the grandchildren!
Source: Badass Grandpa / Live-Action TV - Put Ona Bus: Sora and the two Egyptian gods who mess with Leon are never mentioned again after summer break.
Source: Fan Fic / Showa & Vampire -
Nearly every time he goes there, Harry notes that there are a lot of ways to mess with someone that don't break said truce, and that he almost often sits with his back to the wall.
Source: Good-Guy Bar
Cite this Source
Mess with and Break. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/mess_with
Break & Mess with. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/mess_with>.
Mess with or Break. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/mess_with.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break" and "mess with" have occurred on timeline