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
-
Let the rookie learn on the fly, make mistakes, and grow.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Get your fruit trees off to a strong start by avoiding these common planting mistakes.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
It was subsequently given to the artist Kara Walker, who carved it up in accordance with a butcher’s diagram.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Some of these attractions in the maze include a biohazard unit, a butcher shop, a poacher camp and a witch’s cauldron.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was sacked seven times and fumbled twice with both loose balls being recovered by the Bills’ defense.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But that same quarter, Kansas fumbled on a punt that K-State turned into a touchdown.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off a painful defeat to the Denver Broncos, after blowing a 19-0 lead and losing 33-32 on a last-second Denver field goal after missing two PATs of their own, including one with 37 seconds left.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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After the final whistle blew at Memorial Stadium, Kiffin made some headlines for his postgame behavior toward an Oklahoma player.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His biggest accident was no blunder in the mountains, but becoming a billionaire.—
Maya Silver,
Outside,
20 Oct. 2025
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Some began adding more blunders to the list when the Blue Jays dropped two games at the Rogers Centre to begin the ALCS — when Schneider offered up more pitching changes for fans to debate.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Most people don’t accidentally stumble into building a multimillion-dollar empire.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The trio stumbles upon a crucial piece of evidence - and promptly compromises it.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Drummond's proposals to the court to sharply limit litter's use as fertilizer would amount to a ban on the practice in the river's watershed; this and the cost of removing all litter from the watershed would ruin poultry growers throughout the region, defendants argue.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
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In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.—
Charlie Markbreiter,
Them.,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
For Baltimore, the margin for error is gone.—
Andy Scholes,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The Wolverines then made three consecutive hitting errors, essentially putting the set out of reach.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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