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
-
This makes the Legion Tower a fine set-it-and-forget-it PC gaming rig that fumbles on upgradability, which many PC gamers find crucial.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The premise has the potential for slapstick silliness, as an incompetent Seoul family fumbles its way through opening a hunting lodge in the Korean countryside.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
-
These sting operations disrupt networks for a moment, but the underlying infrastructure remains intact long after the final whistle blows.—
Scott Douglas Gerber,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
After a rocky start, Joey stumbles on some talents and goes to great lengths to impress Leonard in his audition for a play.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
-
Bargatze stars as Nate Wilcox, a successful salesman who stumbles into a chaotic life as a stay-at-home dad to three daughters after his wife, Katie (Mandy Moore), lands a life-changing deal on Shark Tank to put her household invention into play.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
After Henry murders his sister and mother and makes his father the fall guy, this place becomes known as the Murder House in Hawkins.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
-
At least one of the families of the four victims in the Moscow college student murders plans to sue the nearby university where the man who admitted to the killings attended graduate school.—
Kevin Fixler
November 19,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
View from the East Wing includes reflections on four years in the White House as First Lady—a period that included COVID, the start of the war in Ukraine, trips overseas, and initiatives to bolster women’s health and community colleges.—
Julia Terruso,
Time,
11 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
-
In more challenging games, however, the side often flatters to deceive and occasionally slips up, as a narrow 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors and 0-1 loss to Benfica showed.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 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 18 Jun. 2026.
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