screwup

noun

screw·up | \ ˈskrü-ˌəp

Definition of screwup

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one who screws up

2 : botch, blunder

screw up

verb

screwed up; screwing up; screws up

Definition of screw up (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to tighten, fasten, or lock by or as if by a screw

2a : bungle, botch

b : to cause to act or function in a crazy or confused way : confound, disturb

intransitive verb

: to botch an activity or undertaking

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about screwup

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Examples of screwup in a Sentence

Noun

That was a major screwup. She's a screwup who can't hold down a job.

Verb

we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The project—and tight-fisted Congress—probably can't handle more cleaning solvent screwups. — Eric Niiler, WIRED, "Delays, Rising Costs Plague NASA's James Webb Space Telescope," 27 June 2018 Irgo never expressed any desire to see Japan, but the 10-year-old German Shepard found himself on an unexpected flight from Denver to the Tokyo area thanks to a United Airlines screwup Tuesday. — Andrew Theen, OregonLive.com, "From Salem to Denver to Japan: A dog's unplanned journey to the Far East thanks to United Airlines," 14 Mar. 2018 Even the president is said to have worried about the beating the young pair, especially his beloved daughter, have taken in the press for their screwups and failures. — The Editors Of Gq, GQ, "The 50 Most Powerful People In Trump’s Washington*," 22 Feb. 2018 Well, a lot of things: more positive attitudes about the GOP tax bill (which Democrats never stopped attacking); more economic optimism; and a stretch of time when President Trump didn’t dominate the news with some fresh hellish screwup. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Is Democratic Cooperation With Trump Depressing Supporters?," 11 Feb. 2018 There have been screwups on the field, questionable decisions from the managers, the usual foibles that have critics pointing the fingers of blame. — Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "It’s Game 7, as it should be, in the World Series," 31 Oct. 2017 In the end, a diluted version of the government screwup that took Barb's (Shannon Purser) life is exposed, catapulting Hawkins into the national spotlight. — Ashley Hoffman, Time, "Stranger Things," 27 Oct. 2017 Miazga meanders in his analysis but his takeaway is simple enough: both Byrnes and Legg were screwups. — Justin Nobel, Longreads, "Atomic City," 5 Sep. 2017 The whole thing was filmed in one session, screwups and all. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "5 Fascinating Things You Didn’t Know About Julia Child, America’s Most Beloved Chef," 15 Aug. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Our caterer royally screwed up, and most meat and fish were uncooked. — Carolyn Hax, The Mercury News, "Carolyn Hax: Our wedding guests want us to pay them because of this catering fail," 8 June 2019 Our caterer royally screwed up, and most meat and fish were uncooked. — Carolyn Hax, The Mercury News, "Carolyn Hax: Our wedding guests want us to pay them because of this catering fail," 8 June 2019 Our caterer royally screwed up, and most meat and fish was uncooked. — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, "Carolyn Hax: Distinguishing the mentally ill friend from the mental illness," 7 June 2019 Our caterer royally screwed up, and most meat and fish were uncooked. — oregonlive.com, "Carolyn Hax: Decide your boundaries with mentally ill friend based on your needs," 7 June 2019 One person gets a $10,000 cash prize and a weird trophy at the end, sure, but mostly, everybody tries their best to do the impossible and merrily screws up together. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "The Netflix baking competition “Nailed It” teaches us how to find joy in failure," 3 June 2019 How will the sports leagues screw up this Supreme Court decision? — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Jorts, why should you go to the ballpark, and when can we start gambling? | The Kansas City Star," 15 May 2018 There's clueless Rachel completely screwing up a recipe for trifle. — Phoebe Robinson, Glamour, "Friends Thanksgiving Episodes Guide: List of the Best and Worst," 21 Nov. 2018 So much effort to go through, and such a small detail to screw up in the end. — Gideon Lewis-kraus, WIRED, "The Blockchain: A Love Story—And a Horror Story," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'screwup.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.