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
Relevance
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
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 screwup
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Vince is the screwup, a mostly-former drug and gambling addict, while Jake is a successful restaurateur, running the eponymous club/restaurant Black Rabbit in Manhattan.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
And gun-safety groups say that anything that makes the rules more complicated and unclear could really screw up the system.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Noun
But the screwups don’t end there.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Vince is the screwup, a mostly-former drug and gambling addict, while Jake is a successful restaurateur, running the eponymous club/restaurant Black Rabbit in Manhattan.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Sens are going to lose their pick for nothing at all, because of how a GM their fans didn’t like screwed up a trade his team wasn’t even involved in.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
And gun-safety groups say that anything that makes the rules more complicated and unclear could really screw up the system.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
-
Both Velez and Farbstein gave me the 411 on what traveler mistakes can back up the security line.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
The third mistake is using wine that is not cold enough.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The formal living room has floral wallpaper, wide-plank wood floors, crown molding, and built-ins; the high-end kitchen features marble counters, a butcher-block island, and an adjoining dining area with French doors.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
11 May 2026
-
There is brief discussion of poison, and at one point, a fearsome butcher holds a knife.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
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 2026
-
Santillan appears to be fumbling away his opportunity, allowing nine runs (eight earned) over his last five appearances.—
Mike Barner,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But second-year point guard Carla Leite, who had hurt her ankle earlier in the evening, blew by Jones in isolation to tie the score 96-96 with 27 seconds to play.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
For the game, for the third straight game, the Lakers made bunches of mistakes that became bunches of baskets, this time 17 blunders that became 30 Oklahoma City points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
In a recent tactical blunder, the first lady’s farcical rollout of a teacher robot made unusually clear what this administration really thinks of children, teachers and schools.—
Randi Weingarten,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
In other words, voters didn’t accidentally stumble into supporting term limits.—
Jovani Patterson,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
-
The Bucs gave up nearly 26 points per game in the final two months of the season while stumbling to a 2-7 finish.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Since 2015, it has been held in ten different cities, including Las Vegas, where a red carpet was constructed atop the Bellagio’s fountain pool, and Nashville, where rowdy attendees ruined bachelorette parties on Broadway.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Many riads were in a state of disrepair, crammed with striking examples of traditional craftsmanship going to ruin.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The Knights fell behind 3-0 after Canyon’s Mia Saenz hit a two-run home run and added another run on an error.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
Instead, Adames committed an inexcusable baserunning error by forgetting how many outs there were in the seventh inning, allowing Ohtani to complete seven scoreless innings as the Giants’ three-game winning streak was snapped.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
