student asking question

Is "mess up" a synonym of "wreck up"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question! "Wreck up" is a phrasal verb of "wreck", and it means to ruin or to do something wrong that can cause damage or destruction to something. "Mess" is usually used as a noun, however as a phrasal verb it is "mess up", and this is a synonym of "wreck up". The only difference is that "wreck up" usually implies that there is destruction to something, while "mess up" implies that something is damaged, but not ruined, or the extent that it is ruined is not as severe.

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