screw

verb

Definition of screwnext
1
as in to distort
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition screwed up his face at the taste of the medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats managed to screw his siblings out of their share of the inheritance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 screw One was the idea that England were part of an establishment who tried to screw them over in 1966. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 14 July 2026 Last year, Katz filmed a video of his new protégé shucking oysters, chopping wood, swinging kettlebells, and speaking directly to the camera in a muddy sweatshirt about how the oligarchy had screwed their beloved state. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 Reinstall the vent covers—Once everything is fully dry, carefully screw the vent covers back into place. — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 6 July 2026 With Dumb Money, also directed by Gillespie, Rogen played businessman Gabe Plotkin, who got screwed in the GameStop stock drama. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for screw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screw
  1. distort
  2. squeeze
  3. deform
  4. cheat
  5. contort
  6. pluck
  7. curl
  8. stick
Verb
  • Because siblings often share aspects of their childhood environment and genetic background, these comparisons can help account for family influences that might otherwise distort the results.
    — The Conversation US, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2026
  • But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of distort
Verb
  • Cheap electric cars dominate one end of the market, Tesla occupies the premium end, and the middle is getting squeezed.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Washington is trying to choke Iran's ability to get its crude out while Tehran is squeezing the artery through which everybody else's crude gets through.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • The liquid metal provides an electrical pathway that can deform with the surrounding rubber-like material instead of snapping when the skin bends or stretches.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2026
  • How are prices set, and how do those prices avoid reproducing the procedural bias already deforming American medicine?
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of deform
Verb
  • Last year, Anthropic found that if a model is allowed to cheat during training, the cheating becomes a habit.
    — Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Tae-ha’s mom left him after Sang-gil, who was also a boxer prior to becoming a thug, cheated in a match.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Yan jumped up — way up — into the air, contorting his legs into somewhat of a split.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Years after Leontes, a king contorted by jealousy, has ordered that his wife, the blameless Hermione, be put to death, a curtain is drawn back to reveal what appears to be a statue of her.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of contort
Verb
  • Doubs plucked the ball over Gonzalez, who had successfully backed him near the boundary but couldn’t box out the 6-foot-2 receiver entirely.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
  • This machine will actually press the strings down between frets and pluck those strings in time, like a human guitarist.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • Drop the slices into a bowl of ice water to keep them crisp and curled until plating time.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Six minutes into the second half, an unmarked Rafael Llorente launched a curling shot from outside the box that landed in the top right corner to close the gap to 4-2.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • Even after losing an arm, the old warrior manages to stick the Hightower lord, just in time to have Ulf and Silverwing appear above them.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Then the pandemic hit, and Piker was stuck in his one-bedroom apartment, depressed and alone.
    — Josh Eells, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of stick

Phrases Containing screw

Browse Nearby Words

screenwriters
screw
screw around
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Cite this Entry

“Screw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screw. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on screw

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screw

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