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
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Recent Examples of screw
Both have magnets screwed to one end for attaching the corresponding front or top panel, and both are filled with a multi-spaced bracket for installing 120mm to 200mm fans.
—
Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
And screw Dalot for that bad pass.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Having obvious trouble is Lesley, who put a layer of shortbread under her flapjack, which screwed up the cooking time, which screwed up the decorating time, which left Lesley, well, screwed.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
The idea is to force non-returners to scoop the ball up and screw with opponents’ blocking schemes.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
An employee’s open drink, screw top water bottle and food were stored on the prep tables next to food and surfaces coming in contact with food.
—Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
And then everyone else beyond those 35 million people also get screwed, because when all of that money gets pulled out of the health care system, prices go up for everyone, hospitals close.
—Nik Popli, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Following last season’s reunion-spoiling revelations about his father (ex-CIA operative Frank Harkness) and his father’s past (raising children to be super-soldiers), the galloping young stallion (played by Jack Lowden) hasn’t been able to screw his head on straight.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
Plumbing in an old house requires reaching into funny crevices and screwing things the right way.
—Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2025
Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
And screw Dalot for that bad pass.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Having obvious trouble is Lesley, who put a layer of shortbread under her flapjack, which screwed up the cooking time, which screwed up the decorating time, which left Lesley, well, screwed.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
The idea is to force non-returners to scoop the ball up and screw with opponents’ blocking schemes.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
An employee’s open drink, screw top water bottle and food were stored on the prep tables next to food and surfaces coming in contact with food.
—Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
And then everyone else beyond those 35 million people also get screwed, because when all of that money gets pulled out of the health care system, prices go up for everyone, hospitals close.
—Nik Popli, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Following last season’s reunion-spoiling revelations about his father (ex-CIA operative Frank Harkness) and his father’s past (raising children to be super-soldiers), the galloping young stallion (played by Jack Lowden) hasn’t been able to screw his head on straight.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
Plumbing in an old house requires reaching into funny crevices and screwing things the right way.
—Matthew Hutson, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screw
Verb
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The impermanence of our digital footprint, especially in this age of AI scraping and incomplete catalog streaming, is distorting our story.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
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Some slot right in; others distort and cramp.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Reds squeezed into the third wild-card slot for their first playoff appearance in five years.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Some people who have bought homes in the last few years feel squeezed by monthly payments that leave little cash left over.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yield strength describes the point at which a material permanently deforms under stress, marking the boundary between elastic flexibility and structural failure – crucial for engineers designing load-bearing structures.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
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Both of the Yunxian skulls were deformed from millennia spent underground, but the second, known as Yunxian 2, was better preserved.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The scandal exposed how some wealthy families cheated and bribed to secure spots for their children at elite universities, sparking nationwide outrage over denied opportunities for more deserving students.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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This isn’t the first time that the couple was surrounded by cheating rumors.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The precursor to his game-sealing catch Sunday night in New Jersey became appropriately lost in a pretty compelling tale, but his final three steps before a body-contorting catch are all backpedals, spinning nearly 180 degrees to make the grab.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
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That usually means contorting my limbs into weird, uncomfortable positions while trying to watch a movie on my phone.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sofia Coppola’s cult-favorite (if historically murky-at-best) 2006 film Marie Antoinette plucked the queen from history-book pages and pasted her on contemporary mood boards.—
Grace McCarty,
Glamour,
2 Oct. 2025
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Simply plucking young stars from viewers’ social-media feeds won’t radically alter or refresh SNL.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Once all of the hair is curled, Ngatikaura added texture spray to the entire head, using her fingers to pick the hair up and apply the product throughout.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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He was denied a goal in the second half with a curling effort from an acute angle that was cleared off the line.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Investors and economists are stuck looking to other sources of data for information about the economy.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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In the meantime, borrowers stuck in the backlog may not be making progress toward loan forgiveness, either under the terms of an IDR plan or through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screw. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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