1
as in fumbles
to make a mistake
we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Kyle tries to jump up the wall, lands awkwardly, and screws up his ankle.
—
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
What all happens that screws up everything?
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Ego screws up most of the things in this life.
—Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
What all happens that screws up everything?
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
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
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Sonny feels like a departure; unlike Bernthal’s mercenaries, Sonny fumbles with his gun, has a bleeding heart, and lays his vulnerabilities bare.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2026
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The Seahawks are a high-turnover team on both sides of the ball, but the 49ers have forced just two takeaways in the season series — both fumbles in the opener.—
Michael Nowels,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The final whistle blows at Miami Stadium, yet the adrenaline is still high.—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Pay special attention to soil moisture when the wind blows.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 1972, Hannes (Enzo Brumm), a gangly farm boy adrift in a hedonistic haze of hormones and counterculture, stumbles upon a revelation through his contact with a love interest’s geranium.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
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The woman continues to scream as Jones stumbles in the street and Charles asks him multiple more times to drop the knife.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That’s true at the end of the film but not at the beginning, when Jason dons the mask and murders his film professor.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Her unscrupulous, power-hungry uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) murders his own brother to become king.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
What trips the censor, and what does not?—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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Boat trips with the hotel’s fleet of luxury liners or a heli ride take you island-hopping to Hydra and Spetses.—
Jemima Sissons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Dominic Zvada boots a 31-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the lead.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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While Americans searched for spaces for deeper community in that span, CultureCon – which now dubs itself the world's largest meetup of creatives – sprouted from a gathering of 21 people in Ellis' apartment to an annual gathering place for 12,000 attendees.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
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What the site dubs Best of the Best Destinations reflect places visitors have given the highest ratings over the past year.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screws up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screws%20up. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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