screwed up; screwing up; screws up
1
: to tighten, fasten, or lock by or as if by a screw
: to botch an activity or undertaking
Synonyms
Examples of screwup in a Sentence
Noun
That was a major screwup.
She's a screwup who can't hold down a job.
Verb
we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it
you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
Collection Much like Nightmare Before Christmas, Joe Dante’s enduring horror favorite Gremlins plays like someone wanted to see how badly a bunch of little monsters could screw up the setting of another Christmas classic.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwup 
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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
Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ There really aren’t many ways to screw up a straightforward ballad that needs only a rolling snare drum as required instrumentation, but leave it to the Simpson sisters circa 2004 to burn it all down.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
Collection Much like Nightmare Before Christmas, Joe Dante’s enduring horror favorite Gremlins plays like someone wanted to see how badly a bunch of little monsters could screw up the setting of another Christmas classic.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwup
Dictionary Entries Near screwup
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screwup. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
screwup
1 of 2 noun
screw·up
ˈskrü-ˌəp 
1
: one who screws up
2
screw up
2 of 2 verb1
: to tighten, fasten, or lock by or as if by a screw
2
a
b
: to cause to act in an odd or confused way
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