1
as in fumbles
to make a mistake
we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in blows
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screws up
But what really screws up Julia are the deliveries.
—
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Kyle tries to jump up the wall, lands awkwardly, and screws up his ankle.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Ego screws up most of the things in this life.
—Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
Kyle tries to jump up the wall, lands awkwardly, and screws up his ankle.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Ego screws up most of the things in this life.
—Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screws up
Verb
-
Tensions between the galley and the interior continue to escalate over lunch service, when a radio mishap fumbles the order in which the food should go out.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
The movie fumbles the chance to do something arresting with this seminal period in art.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
As with other members of the poplar family such as quaking aspen, the part of the tree that attaches the leaf to the branch is several inches long, causing leaves to flap rapidly from side to side when the wind blows.—
Sheryl DeVore,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
This doesn’t work for Alice, however, who goes from disbelief to sabotage to an act of betrayal whose wreckage spills out over the series and blows back on her.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The first robot stumbles on aluminum debris, its wheels furiously trying to get traction and move around the obstacle.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Roher and co-writer Robert Ramsay craft a classically structured screenplay about a talented piano tuner who stumbles into a life of crime, upon which Roher, editor Greg O’Bryant, and composer Will Bates embroider jazzy rhythms and inflections, inspired by the musical world our characters inhabit.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Kingpin’s enforcer Buck Cashman (Arty Froushan) shockingly murders Deputy Mayor Daniel Blake (Michael Gandolfini) in a showdown of Fisk’s two right-hand men.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Geillis, on her quest to install Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne, murders her husband as a blood sacrifice and walks through the stones.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The appeal stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by a California man who argued that the ad features young children, even though some of the proceeds are directed toward programs that fund Israel trips for older teens.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
-
Brown has four championships as an assistant and seven Finals trips overall.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Dominic Zvada boots a 31-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the lead.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
At Baku, however, the car looks to be a podium contender, potentially fighting for the win if McLaren slips up.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Along the way Texas needs to hope Seattle slips up, or else that final weekend in Cleveland could wind up being meaningless.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This results in what Atlassian dubs the fragmentation tax.—
Shani Harmon,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Claire meets strange apothecary Master Raymond, who dubs her La Dame Blanche.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screws up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screws%20up. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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