1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
clearly, there's been some sort of screwup about what time we were supposed to meet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in butcher
someone who bungles an effort
don't ask the office screwup to arrange the holiday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make a mistake
we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwup
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Travis is a well-meaning screwup who comes from a family of cops but can’t get a place on the police force.
—Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 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
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Noun
In a precedent for a larger screwup later, Jess gets a mini-earful from Kerry for taking too long to update him on the chains during the anchoring process.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Travis is a well-meaning screwup who comes from a family of cops but can’t get a place on the police force.
—Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
The steaks have all been beautifully marbled, which makes cooking them pretty hard to screw up.
—Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 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
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
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The 49ers also made a big mistake in fielding just 10 players on the very play on which Warner was injured.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Conservative activists have spent the past forty-six years arguing that this was a terrible mistake.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Owner Konstantinos Karakasilis, who once ran his own butcher shop, hand-selects every cut, relying on relationships built over 30 years.—
Katherine Whittaker,
Saveur,
9 Oct. 2025
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Ask the butcher for lean cuts and choose meats with less marbling.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Coming off an open week, the Cardinal (2-4, 1-2) forced a three-and-out on defense to start the game, but Liam Thorpe fumbled the ensuing punt return to give possession back to the Mustangs (4-2, 2-0).—
Harold Gutmann,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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The Razorbacks fumbled 4 times and lost 3, including 2 in Tennessee territory.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to Reuters, 58 reports describe Teslas blowing through red lights, drifting into the wrong lanes and even crashing at intersections.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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Some of it just plain blows the mind.—
Nick Tzitzon,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite that big blunder, McMillan bounced back with his first career touchdown on the next series.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Oct. 2025
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Against Brent Venables’ otherwise elite defense, Arch Manning had a nicely tidy day, completing 21 of 27 passes with no major blunders and 200 total yards.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Things do get more interesting when Mia stumbles upon an improbable house in the middle of the woods, occupied by a witchy old lady (Robin Bartlett).—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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With upsets keeping divisional races entertaining, Week 6 offers a chance for several surprise teams to solidify their place among the contenders, and for stumbling powerhouses to stop their slides before things get out of hand.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Back in January, Preston remembered filming My Best Friend’s Wedding — and how an iconic scene ruined crab and lobster for her.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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Packages of flying tortillas thrown at the wrong time, or pocket knives, would only hurt a reputation that Texas Tech has worked doggedly to change and show that the Red Raiders are at home on a national stage, and not the crazy drunk uncle ruining a holiday.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There aren’t any obvious errors that can be laid at Darlow’s door over the past four matches.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omissions, interruption, deletion, defect or delay in operation with transmission, communications, line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or allegation of submissions.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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