screws up

verb

present tense third-person singular of screw up
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screws up
  1. fumbles
  2. blows
  3. stumbles
  4. murders
  5. trips
  6. boots
  7. slips up
  8. dubs
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
Definition of fumbles
Verb
  • So the average curve still looks calm while the variance underneath it blows wide open.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • That blows Nolan’s old record for The Dark Knight Rises($249 million) out of the wine-dark water.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 July 2026
Definition of blows
Verb
  • But then our son stumbles into the room and burrows between us, his warmth radiating right alongside my light.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Let’s say Paul Simon, a curious man, stumbles upon your song and then reads this interview.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of stumbles
Verb
  • Moriarty has reported on the yogurt shop murders for over 30 years.
    — Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 26 June 2026
  • Not the family stuff, like Natalie’s spontaneous nipple piercing after making out with Cady’s maybe-daughter, Nevaeh (Malia Pyles), who later murders her own mother after kissing her, for way too long, on the mouth.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of murders
Verb
  • Santa Ana, the country's tallest volcano), horseback rides along the black sand, and trips out along the Ruta de las Flores.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026
  • Powerful superconducting magnets could also provide a solution to the problem of cancer-causing cosmic radiation that explorers will encounter during stays on the moon or trips deeper into space.
    — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of trips
Verb
  • Olise always takes it and boots the ball straight out of play.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Dominic Zvada boots a 31-yard field goal to give the Wolverines the lead.
    — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
Definition of boots
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
Definition of slips up
Verb
  • That is, unless you’re motivated to pay individual device prices for a business-specific model (which Microsoft dubs Surface Laptop or Pro for Business).
    — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
  • The stockpiles in Cushing, Oklahoma – which dubs itself the pipeline crossroads of America – fell below 20 million barrels and remained below that critical threshold last week.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
Definition of dubs

Browse Nearby Words

screws around
screws up
screwup
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Cite this Entry

“Screws up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screws%20up. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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