corkscrewing

verb

present participle of corkscrew
1
as in pulling
to draw out by force or with effort practically every word had to be corkscrewed out of the tight-lipped witness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in winding
to follow a circular or spiral course the trail corkscrews through dense woods to the top of the steep hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of corkscrewing Bystanders captured video showing the jet corkscrewing toward the ground, then disappearing behind homes before a large black plume of smoke appears. — Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corkscrewing
  1. pulling
  2. winding
  3. prying
  4. coiling
  5. yanking
  6. curling
  7. extracting
  8. curving
Verb
  • And often, data centers are pulling from municipal water supplies, Anisfeld said.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of pulling
Verb
  • But my mind kept winding back to the platform at Shippea Hill station.
    — Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2026
  • Travelers can spend the afternoon exploring the former fishing town's winding streets or walking sections of the coastal paths that run along the Maresme coastline.
    — Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of winding
Verb
  • These evergreen or deciduous shrubs protect your garden oasis from prying eyes and create a sense of solitude.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
  • The two have already had a few chats away from prying eyes and shared a few kisses.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 10 June 2026
Definition of prying
Verb
  • Joe Kramm | Courtesy of Francis Interiors The gold background is a spread of bold graphic lines, undulating shapes and coiling circular motifs, referencing the work of French artist, sculptor and designer Jean Dunand (1877–1942).
    — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Receiving a ball punched out of Tunisia’s area, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder took one touch to knock it into space, before coiling his diminutive frame behind a fierce shot that fizzed and curled into the net.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 15 June 2026
Definition of coiling
Verb
  • Pinned beneath her rotting legs in his recliner chair, Loftis narrowly escapes by yanking its lever, catapulting the hag over his head.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026
  • Video also showed the man climbing onto the roof of the car and yanking pieces of the LiDAR sensor that sits on the roof of Waymo cars and helps the vehicles map and navigate.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of yanking
Verb
  • Leo Ostigard’s goal in the 4-1 win over Iraq came from a curling Martin Odegaard delivery to the front post.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Airflow heats the barrel, and dries the hair while curling it in a process that uses 40 percent less energy than hair-dryer and brush methods.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 9 July 2026
Definition of curling
Verb
  • Scientists are cracking the code for extracting useful molecules from substances designed to harm.
    — Steve Midway, STAT, 16 July 2026
  • Lionel Scaloni found a way to both protect a player who is physically years beyond his prime while also extracting the maximum influence from him.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of extracting
Verb
  • The route is winding and rolling, ducking inland through forest and prairie before curving back to hug the lake’s shoreline, with lots of turnoffs to stop and take in the views.
    — Stacy Conde, Midwest Living, 9 July 2026
  • His update on the C-cut began just below the chin, with extra lift at the roots and inward-curving lengths that narrowed toward the ends to create the illusion of a heart.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 July 2026
Definition of curving

Browse Nearby Words

corkscrewed
corkscrewing
corkscrews
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Corkscrewing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corkscrewing. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All