screw

verb

Definition of screwnext
1
as in to distort
to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition screwed up his face at the taste of the medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats managed to screw his siblings out of their share of the inheritance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 screw Rinse the faucet and aerator with clean water, screw on the aerator, and dry and buff the faucet with a clean microfiber cloth. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026 There’s a storyline in season two about AI being employed at the hospital, then screwing everything up when the system goes down. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026 But the war needs to end because every day that the war continues, America gets weaker, Iran gets stronger, and people here in the United States get screwed, as prices go up, and up and up. — NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026 Because we've been screwed by tariffs used against us for years. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for screw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screw
  1. distort
  2. squeeze
  3. deform
  4. cheat
  5. contort
  6. pluck
  7. curl
  8. stick
Verb
  • Because of its large field of view, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help researchers better understand dark matter by capturing how the phenomenon's gravity bends light and distorts a galaxy's shape.
    — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Yiannopoulos resigned from Breitbart amid the backlash and offered a rare apology but said the media distorted his comments.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of distort
Verb
  • The Middle East war and the resulting shipping disruption through the Strait of Hormuz drove up global commodity costs, further squeezing Beijing's own appetite for commodity imports.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.
    — Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • The Taylor cone was a sign that the electric field between a drop and metal had gotten strong enough to deform water.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • For instance, InSAR finds where something is changing, laser scanning shows how a structure is deforming, and GPR investigates what may be happening underneath it.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of deform
Verb
  • Written and rendered by dudes who longed for unlimited success, these are songs about cheating and being cheated on and trying but failing to be content, or love as lived amid capitalist indulgence.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Cheaters gonna cheat The first step was creating a message board that allowed the agents to pass notes to each other.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Its blood had drawn crooked and contorted lines on the ground, as if a painter had splashed colorful strokes on a canvas to create a postmodern masterpiece.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Whisenhunt threw one more pitch, a 93 mph fastball, then contorted his arm and walked around the mound as head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner raced out to check on him.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of contort
Verb
  • The Muir swivel chair in oxblood velvet feels plucked out of a Hollywood Regency–style boutique hotel lobby.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Even in high school, Lane could effortlessly pluck a ball out of the air with either hand.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • Women figured prominently in many of Mansour’s works, such as the 1984 Flight to Egypt, depicting a mother curled over her sleeping baby.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 28 Aug. 2026
  • For our recipe, the Test Kitchen poached just-cooked oysters in milk until their edges began to curl.
    — Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • After being stuck open in the rain, fans cheered when the roof closed.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Those drivers’ days (and lives) were rattled far more than those stuck in the backup behind them.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of stick

Phrases Containing screw

Browse Nearby Words

screenwriters
screw
screw around
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Cite this Entry

“Screw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screw. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on screw

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screw

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