screwup
noun
\
screw up
verbDefinition of screw up (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for screwup
Synonyms: Noun
blunder, bobble, boo-boo, boob [British], brick, clanger [British], clinker, error, fault, flub, fluff, fumble, gaff, gaffe, goof, inaccuracy, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, slip, slipup, stumble, trip
Synonyms: Verb
blunder, boob [British], err, flub, fluff, foul up, fumble, goof (up), louse up, mess (up), slip up, stumble, trip
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Taken together, screw ups are mind-boggling in scope, affecting tens of millions of people. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "22 predictions for social media in 2019," 15 Dec. 2018 The next time a male executive screws up, maybe put them on the air to make their own announcements about their bad behavior and subsequent firings. — Abigail Libers, Glamour, "I’m Sick of Female Journalists Cleaning Up the Messes Their Male Co-Workers Made," 14 Sep. 2018 Zuckerberg has been asked that question a lot over the past year, but Facebook rarely seems to fire anybody, even when there are clear and significant screw ups. — Kurt Wagner, Recode, "Who does Facebook fire after a bombshell New York Times investigation?," 15 Nov. 2018 Green beans with chicken were cooked beautifully - fresh, a bit crunchy, not overdone or drenched in oil or butter (yes, some restaurants can screw up vegetables). — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, "Crop Bistro's grandeur is worth the trip to Ohio City restaurant," 20 Mar. 2018 Unlike Mercury, which temporarily screws up expression, Mars retrograde can actually be a lot more excruciating. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What August's Cancer Horoscope Means for You," 30 July 2018 Because this was such a no-brainer for the series and lead actor nominations (and for writing), that the only thing taking the minimal amount of effort or interest were directing and supporting categories, which the TV Academy totally screwed up. — Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter, "THR's TV Critics Debate the Highs and Lows of the 2018 Emmy Nominations," 12 July 2018 This retrograde has the potential to screw up all things related to communication and transmission. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "Your 2018 Guide to Surviving Mercury Retrograde," 26 July 2018 As these women can attest, there's no one right way to raise a kid, and so much of it is learning (even screwing up) along the way. — Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "15 Celebrity Moms Get Hilariously Honest About Motherhood," 9 May 2018These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for screwup
screwup
noun
English Language Learners Definition of screwup
: a mistake or error
: a person who often makes mistakes especially about important things : someone who often screws up
Comments on screwup
What made you want to look up screwup? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Homophone Quiz
-
- In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a
______.
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Homophone Quiz
More/moor than/then two/too/to.
Take the quiz -
Liar, Liar Quiz
Test your knowledge of words for lies, liars, and those being lied to. In other words, everyone.
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Play the game
Share screwup
Resources for screwup