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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of screwup
Steph Yang, The Athletic, 25 July 2024
And considering the premature appearance on the website (and now these images), that might happen sooner than later as Sonos looks to get back on track after a colossal screwup.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 17 Sep. 2024
ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The administration won't admit it, but this was a screw up.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Noun
No room for screwups, especially while the team was fighting for equal pay and better treatment from U.S. Soccer.
—Steph Yang, The Athletic, 25 July 2024
And considering the premature appearance on the website (and now these images), that might happen sooner than later as Sonos looks to get back on track after a colossal screwup.
—Chris Welch, The Verge, 17 Sep. 2024
Verb
This was a problem that Microsoft made exponentially worse by screwing up the Recall rollout so badly in the first place.
—ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
The administration won't admit it, but this was a screw up.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
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Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: San Diego’s roads are in dire condition after years of deferred maintenance; drastically cutting the road-repair budget now would be a serious mistake.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2025
-
Treating it like a cause-and-effect explanation mistakes the scoreboard for the game.—
Alexander William Salter,
National Review,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Features will include a butcher shop, specialty cheese shop and fresh flower market in addition to produce, seafood, bakery, prepared foods and grocery departments, the release said.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2025
-
Proteins come from local butchers, seafood mongers, etc.—
Rachel Dube,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Verb
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The stress of getting to your airport gate on time, coupled with the excitement of getting to your destination, can cause even the most seasoned of travelers to fumble at security checkpoints.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2025
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For example, if an officer sees someone swerving, fumbling with items, or clearly not paying attention to the road, the interior light might factor into a citation for reckless or inattentive driving.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
In addition, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities to well under a mile at times in blowing dust or blowing sand.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 May 2025
-
Those cops do more than blow whistles and bark signals.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
Noun
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But the internal investigation promised by department leaders — a probe of what accounted for the delays and blunders — seemed to go nowhere.—
Christopher Goffard,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
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The show’s main blunder is that instead of unpacking the various angles of the mob bosses’ corruption, random side stories start popping up.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
Still, many times, most seasoned and skilled leaders stumble from time to time.—
Phil Portman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
Meanwhile, the only truly happy artist in Ira’s friend group — played to uproarious perfection by Stanley Tucci — isn’t even much of an artist at all but a shameless name-dropper who seems to stumble into constant success without even trying.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
9 May 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Daniella Segura,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2025
-
Sonos is very, very sorry for ruining your speaker system.—
Boone Ashworth,
Wired News,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Garcia, who denies gang membership, had an immigration court order protecting him from deportation, which the administration acknowledged was an administrative error.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
-
Betts grounded into a fielder’s choice and reached via an error on a should-have-been 6-3 putout.—
Benjamin Royer,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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