screwup

1 of 2

noun

screw·​up ˈskrü-ˌəp How to pronounce screwup (audio)
1
: one who screws up
2

screw up

2 of 2

verb

screwed up; screwing up; screws up

transitive verb

1
: to tighten, fasten, or lock by or as if by a screw
2
a
b
: to cause to act or function in an erratic or confused way : confound, disturb

intransitive verb

: to botch an activity or undertaking

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
Continue reading … ‘EMBARRASSING’ – CNN's Honig rips Fani Willis' 'screwup' that led to judge throwing out six counts against Trump. Fox News, 14 Mar. 2024 Then there’s Uber, whose data quality controls missed an accounting screwup that cost it $45 million in back pay for drivers. Bynick Rockel, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Similar screwups would occur again and again over the years, with each side perennially overinterpreting the other’s behavior while explaining away its own. Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The Iowa caucus has also had its share of screwups. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 16 Jan. 2024 Has its boss lost his job for what seems to be a massive screwup? Steven Levy, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024 Moss-Bachrach, 46, has emerged a fan favorite as Richie, the lovable screwup cousin who ascended to become the manager of the show's namesake restaurant on season 2 of The Bear . Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024 Related: After sickle-cell screwups, Bluebird Bio’s only option might be a company sale The need to stay at home, isolated, creates a barrier for many people interested in getting Zynteglo or the sickle cell gene therapies. Brittany Trang, STAT, 13 Dec. 2023 Another one of these screwups, and he’ll be put on probation. Paul Auster, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2022
Verb
Early blossoming can screw up intricate timing with pollinators and birds. Seth Borenstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 The descendants of Adam and Eve wander, murder, screw up, get drunk immediately after their most impressive actions, cheat one another out of blessings, engage in a spot of polyamory and then viciously regret it, do harm on the grand scale while doing good on the local one. Francis Spufford, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The Broncos were too screwed up seven years ago for Little Shanny to kiss the sky here. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2024 Know who to trust Even otherwise trustworthy sources sometimes screw up, said Dr. Richard Baron, president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine, which certifies doctors. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 There's a reason prestige directors like Antoine Fuqua, Steve McQueen, David Fincher, Jane Campion, and Martin Scorsese have all been drawn to the genre, which absorbs the fingerprints of creators and is almost cartoonishly easy to screw up. Eric Farwell, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 The playwright Jenkins is also most concerned with the Lafayette family dynamic, and a family that screwed up is rife for comedy. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2023 Simple, straightforward, kind of impossible to screw up. David Pierce, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2024 Jo Koy hosts, and a bunch of films that have the potential to really screw up my Vulture Movie Fantasy League are among the nominees. James Grebey, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'screwup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1625, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of screwup was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near screwup

Cite this Entry

“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screwup. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

screwup

1 of 2 noun
screw·​up ˈskrü-ˌəp How to pronounce screwup (audio)
1
: one who screws up
2

screw up

2 of 2 verb
1
: to tighten, fasten, or lock by or as if by a screw
2
b
: to cause to act in a crazy or confused way
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!