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
In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.
—
Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
The result is that many contestants are frequent collaborators and have long histories with one another, adding extra juice to their attempts to screw each other over.
—Claire McNear, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2026
Another big upgrade in terms of the Neo’s repairability compared to previous MacBooks, according to reviewers, is its screw-in battery.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 15 Mar. 2026
Then there are the indirect ways stress can screw with your gut.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 13 Mar. 2026
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.
—Jay Reddick, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
All the setup required was screwing in the legs.
—Noah Kaufman, Architectural Digest, 7 Mar. 2026
Con Ed and companies like it will continue to screw customers over so long as the system allows it.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2026
TiMate, a Hong Kong tool company, says its new Arcos Driver was built for exactly that screw.
—Omar Kardoudi
march 05, New Atlas, 5 Mar. 2026
Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
The result is that many contestants are frequent collaborators and have long histories with one another, adding extra juice to their attempts to screw each other over.
—Claire McNear, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2026
Another big upgrade in terms of the Neo’s repairability compared to previous MacBooks, according to reviewers, is its screw-in battery.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 15 Mar. 2026
Then there are the indirect ways stress can screw with your gut.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 13 Mar. 2026
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.
—Jay Reddick, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
All the setup required was screwing in the legs.
—Noah Kaufman, Architectural Digest, 7 Mar. 2026
Con Ed and companies like it will continue to screw customers over so long as the system allows it.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2026
TiMate, a Hong Kong tool company, says its new Arcos Driver was built for exactly that screw.
—Omar Kardoudi
march 05, New Atlas, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screw
Verb
-
Objects were frequently distorted or missing key components.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Their shapes often distort as one galaxy exerts tidal forces on the other.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
House rebels view the attempt to squeeze the SAVE America Act into reconciliation, a restrictive budget process that requires all language to have a direct fiscal impact, as capitulation and want to see the entire bill, including its mandates on voter ID and proof of citizenship, signed into law.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Priced at just £600, the 13-inch Neo squeezes many of the MacBook Air’s best features into a device that is far more affordable.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kinks are critical in determining where a material deforms, appearing in situations such as metals bending permanently or DNA strands separating.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Don’t forget the gasp-inducing images of dicks mangled by one Dr. Loria in New York City, who has proudly refused malpractice insurance but allegedly left a number of men deformed after pumping them up with chunky-looking filler.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported on the cheating epidemic that has overtaken schools and universities as students outsource their assignments to a chat bot.—
Peter Smagorinsky,
AJC.com,
30 Mar. 2026
-
An angler competing in a walleye derby on Saskatchewan’s Montreal Lake was kicked out of the ice-fishing tournament Saturday after being accused of cheating.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the first round of the 1993 tournament, against LSU Kidd’s drive through the lane and body-contorting, banker high off the backboard with one second left gave Cal a 66-64 win.—
Brad Townsend,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Egon Schiele’s show at the Neue Galerie suggests that the artist’s raw, contorted depictions of the body were influenced by a formative relationship with a doctor.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Somberness, as well as anger and sadness, color the majority of the songs plucked from Springsteen's vast catalog to underscore the reason for this 20-date tour.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
My niece requested an extra five minutes to say goodbye to the chickens and my nephew insisted on plucking just one more lemon from the yard.—
Lara Kramer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Her father was seated on a chair with one foot tucked under him, and her mother was sitting on the sofa with both feet curled under her.—
Jacobina Martin,
Washington Post,
1 Apr. 2026
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Isaiah Evans slipped trying to curl to the rim and Solo Ball scooped up the ball, racing toward the basket, chased by the likely player of the year, Cam Boozer.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The astronauts will stick close to home for the first 25 hours of their 10-day test flight, checking out the capsule in orbit around Earth before firing the main engine that will propel them to the moon.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The average commuter spends 63 hours a year stuck in traffic.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screw. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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