unscrew

verb

un·​screw ˌən-ˈskrü 

unscrewed; unscrewing; unscrews

transitive verb

1

: to draw the screws from

2

: to loosen or withdraw by turning

intransitive verb

: to become or admit of being unscrewed

Examples of unscrew in a Sentence

I unscrewed the jar lid.

You'll need to unscrew the cover before you remove it.

Recent Examples on the Web

To clean it, just unscrew the parts and stick them on the top rack of the dishwasher (in fact, all parts of the Beast blender besides the motor base are top rack dishwasher-safe, including the blade). —Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Aug. 2025

Place a towel and shallow pan under the opening, unscrew the cover and pull out any debris. —Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2025

The astronauts had to unscrew 117 small screws (without losing any) and then swap out a broken power supply board to fix something never designed to be fixed in space. —Tariq Malik, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Inside the package inside the wall, police investigators found a .22-caliber American Arms revolver, 10 .22-caliber cartridges, a razor blade, three handcuff keys and a special bit that could unscrew metal fasteners inside the jail. —Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for unscrew

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

unscrew

verb

un·​screw ˌən-ˈskrü 

ˈən-

1

: to remove the screws from

2

: to loosen or withdraw by turning

unscrew a lightbulb