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
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Recent Examples of screw
Mechanics across the continent screwed, hammered and welded Sheila to keep her together, sometimes shaking their heads at the madness of it all.
—
ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Without brothers, father, I would be screwed.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Without brothers, father, I would be screwed.
—Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The screw-in stake is 16 inches long with a sharp tip and an easy-grip rubber handle.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Semi-screwed There’s a world in which Colby was the most screwed over by the rock draw — because Dee and Emily are friends who already played together, and both were aligned with Cirie — but that world is one in which he was not injured and likely limping out of the game anyway.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
As if she’d been presented with a tidy, screw-like riddle from the Sphynx.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
A lot of times, much of a Hollywood memoir is someone saying this person screwed me over, this bad thing happened, and so on.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Without brothers, father, I would be screwed.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Without brothers, father, I would be screwed.
—Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The screw-in stake is 16 inches long with a sharp tip and an easy-grip rubber handle.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
Semi-screwed There’s a world in which Colby was the most screwed over by the rock draw — because Dee and Emily are friends who already played together, and both were aligned with Cirie — but that world is one in which he was not injured and likely limping out of the game anyway.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
As if she’d been presented with a tidy, screw-like riddle from the Sphynx.
—Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
A lot of times, much of a Hollywood memoir is someone saying this person screwed me over, this bad thing happened, and so on.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
In another part of the factory, a worker used a wooden stick, like a tongue compressor at a doctor’s office, to scrape excess bits of explosive out of the grooves inside each shell, ensuring that the base would screw on smoothly.
—Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screw
Verb
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The synthesis process consists of mixing bismuth ferrite with barium titanate to carefully engineer a strain, then growing the mixture as a thin film on a substrate that distorts its crystal structure.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
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But in doing that, that distorts the economics for all patients everywhere.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When picking your own, avoid squeezing the berries.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
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That’s way too much time to squeeze into a mere 140 minutes.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Back in Egypt, however, a freak plane crash uncovers a mysterious tomb that authorities open to find Katie: deformed, malnourished and ghostly-pale, but still miraculously alive.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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Kinks are critical in determining where a material deforms, appearing in situations such as metals bending permanently or DNA strands separating.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The reportedly yearlong relationship is notable in that, after their split in 2015, Stocking posted and deleted tweets saying the basketball player cheated, per The New York Post.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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As OutKick previously reported, Megan broke off her relationship with the NBA star last week after accusing him of cheating.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While the Kings feasted on pity points to contort and squeeze their way into the playoffs, the reset button has been pressed firmly around the NHL.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Despite some obvious physical scarring and a seeming predilection for contorting her body in creepy ways, Katie seems pretty healthy, or so the Egyptian doctors tell her parents.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Orion capsule will be returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for additional study following the mission — but before it was plucked from the ocean, the divers managed to capture images of the capsule and its heat shield underwater.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Vikings also plucked Ryan Van Demark as a restricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The cashier responded by extending his thumb, index finger, and pinky finger while keeping his middle and ring fingers curled against his palm.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
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Comprising irregular, curling and warped forms, the bed is crafted from stainless steel, powder coated in pink and black shades, with its design reportedly informed by female eroticism and intuition.—
Francesca Perry,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
All have at least made it to the moon, although only Firefly’ lander stuck its landing successfully.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
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Get him to smell that ocean breeze, stick his feet in the sand — really relax.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screw. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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