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 To Knight, he has been screwed out of those opportunities thanks to The Bloodline – Reigns’ faction of family members who have had his back through thick and thin. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Who would come correct with a bitchy, sassy, screw-all-y’all response, and who would play it safe with a mild-mannered send-off? — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2026 Sometimes a lid isn’t screwed tightly, and your foundation proves its worth all over the inside of your bag. — Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 15 Sep. 2026 Julian is played with winning charm by Daniel Ings in a role that stretches him from his usual parts, like the buffoonish screw-up brother in the series The Gentlemen. — Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 13 Sep. 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
  • While there are men who have been affected — George Brett Olson has been one vocal example — the majority affected seem to be women, whose likenesses are often exaggerated or distorted for the purposes of sexualization.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The carbon molecules then distort the star’s light so much that almost all of it is squeezed into wavelengths beyond 600 nanometres.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of distort
Verb
  • Meta squeezes two independent light-guiding cores into a single standard glass strand to double its bandwidth.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.
    — , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • The two valves must then pass one another midway through their strokes, briefly deforming to squeeze past each other before resuming their pumping roles.
    — Mike McRae October 12, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Moving and deforming ice produces substantial underwater noise.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of deform
Verb
  • For example, if a model figures out a way to cheat to win a game, but the human running the training doesn’t spot the cheating, then the model will learn to cheat.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • The headband stretches and contorts quite a bit, then snaps right back to its original position.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Scientists at Northwestern University in the US and the University of California, Santa Barbara, have discovered a consistent anchor point on tau proteins where the molecules meet before contorting into a pathogenic shape.
    — Mike McRae October 13, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of contort
Verb
  • As the party winded down, guests plucked final bites off silver platters and marveled at how tall Skarsgård truly is in person—his nearly six-foot-five frame barely fit under the bar’s low ceilings.
    — Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Starring alongside Amell is a slew of objectively hot influencers and models plucked straight off the TikTok FYP, including Noah Beck, Olivia Dunne, and Brooks Nader.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • Diaby scored the winner on a nifty shot from outside the box, curling it into the top right corner of the net for his second goal in his eighth MLS match.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin, meanwhile, became the first American team to win a medal in Olympic mixed doubles curling, taking silver.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of curl
Verb
  • As such, the greatest obstacle to genuine transformation is getting stuck in the planning cycle.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Chatten’s narrators are stuck in a perpetual apartness—desperate for safety and connection, but repeatedly failing to find it.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about screw

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