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 breeze was screwing with the sound system, and the temperature dropped abruptly. — Lily Goldberg, Pitchfork, 26 June 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 Attracted to the smell, the flies will lay eggs in open wounds on warm-blooded animals, and within hours the eggs hatch as the worms burrow in a screw-like pattern into the flesh to feed, according to the advisory. — Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Securing a current-generation Dyson stick vacuum bundled with two motorized cleaning heads and a specialized pet hair screw tool below the $300 line is an incredible find. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 25 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
  • Nigeria rejected the International Monetary Fund’s finding that the country has engaged in extra-budgetary public spending that distorts its deficit levels, blaming poor interpretation of its financial reporting method for the misunderstanding.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 10 July 2026
  • Hiding workforce-scale spend in IT line items avoids the conversation; treating it as labor distorts it.
    — Priya Sawant, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of distort
Verb
  • The result is a new generation of patients planning trips around treatments rather than squeezing appointments into an existing vacation.
    — Meggen Harris, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • With inflation squeezing their margins and rideshare platforms demanding a large share of their earnings, a driver’s split-second decision to accept a fare is a high-stakes calculation of business survival.
    — Christopher S. Tang, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • When oil wells are shut in, the pressure underground can become imbalanced, deforming the underlying structure.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 June 2026
  • Some cells were mechanically deformed to simulate incidents such as minor parking impacts.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 June 2026
Definition of deform
Verb
  • The American grandmaster shed some light on his mindset following Kramnik’s cheating accusations in a livestream prior to his death, according to the Associated Press.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • Trump has also continued to claim Democrats are trying to rig or cheat in the upcoming election, remarks that have faced rebukes from members of his own party.
    — Ana Ceballos Follow, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Videos and photos circulating on social media showed steel columns on the building’s higher floors buckling and contorting on Tuesday.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • Somehow, the 22-year-old was able to contort himself into an uncomfortable TT position to complete the course — and not only that, help Netcompany-Ineos to an impressive second place.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of contort
Verb
  • In all, designing, building and assembling the horse involved a team of 45, not much less than the number of men on Odysseus’ ship (and roughly the same amount on board after the Cyclops and Scylla monsters had plucked off a few).
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 July 2026
  • This current year, though, feels like a regression, with a lineup that, bar one or two interesting choices, mostly feels like it could have been plucked straight out of 2015.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • After curling a stunning effort into the top corner, Lopes Cabral raced over to celebrate with the Cape Verde supporters in the stadium.
    — Tom Burrows, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • As flames licked at the fabric and smoke curled toward the ceiling, an overcapacity crowd of more than 1,800 panicked, rushing for the exits and jamming against doors that opened inward.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • Their families clung to the shade of the trees on either side, where one woman had two American flags stuck through her ponytail.
    — Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • That level of output convinced Vogt to stick him in the leadoff spot a little more than three weeks into his career and not look back.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 5 July 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 15 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on screw

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screw

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