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 The screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. — Fabiola Sánchez, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026 The case and screw-down crown provide water resistance to 200 meters. — Anthony Demarco, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 Even Bari Weiss hasn’t figured out a way to screw that up (not yet, anyway). — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Aug. 2026 There’s a storyline in season two about AI being employed at the hospital, then screwing everything up when the system goes down. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 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
  • In the twenty-tens, modern investigations made clear that the work was in danger of becoming distorted by this display, which would need to be redesigned.
    — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • However, landmasses are greatly distorted toward the poles, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.
    — Jewel Bright, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of distort
Verb
  • As more homes come onto the market and mortgage rates remain elevated, sellers are increasingly adjusting prices to attract buyers who have been squeezed by affordability challenges.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The surge has raised concerns that higher gasoline prices could squeeze household budgets and weigh on consumer spending.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • The pilot can then adjust speed and make turns by pulling steering brake lines to deform the trailing edge or shifting weight in the harness.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Taylor cone was a sign that the electric field between a drop and metal had gotten strong enough to deform water.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of deform
Verb
  • Some of the common concerns addressed by the guidance include the privacy of student data being input into AI systems, the potential for cheating and emphasis on human input and verification.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In an atmosphere of uncertainty—and given prevailing concerns about students using AI to cheat—such bans would seem to make some sense.
    — Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Its blood had drawn crooked and contorted lines on the ground, as if a painter had splashed colorful strokes on a canvas to create a postmodern masterpiece.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Whisenhunt threw one more pitch, a 93 mph fastball, then contorted his arm and walked around the mound as head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner raced out to check on him.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of contort
Verb
  • That’s what life is like for NFL players who were plucked off the waiver wire last week, or those who have signed with a new team last week after not making their old team’s initial 53-man roster.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Last January Nessie O’Neil, a graduate student in biology at Miami University in Ohio, watched as a young pygmy raccoon plucked a receipt from the paper trash.
    — Isabel Gil, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • She’s played with a darkly enigmatic, unnerving quality by James in her finest work to date — a knowing, even domineering smile often curling around her lips.
    — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The faster lines already have started to curl higher, as well.
    — Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • Jerry could easily be a caricature of a pretentious artiste stuck overseeing anonymous regional theater productions.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Stubborn and stuck in the past have been thrown around, but Swinney has started to change and engage the transfer portal, bringing in 15 transfers this offseason after adding four the year before and zero in 2024.
    — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on screw

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screw

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