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
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
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
The screwup wiped more than $3 billion off HPE’s market cap.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 July 2025
Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 22 July 2025
Now the most popular thing on this carnival ride is the Home Run Derby, which isn’t baseball, but a show of strength — and to me, a clown show with juiced baseballs.
Tatis wisely chose to skip this Derby, which has been known to screw up swings.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwup
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Noun
Year: 2012 Director: Michael Dowse Run time: 1h 32m
Seann William Scott has made a career out of playing screwups and knuckleheads.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
The screwup wiped more than $3 billion off HPE’s market cap.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 July 2025
Verb
Democrats are facing pressure to fight Trump, Republicans are cutting spending with the rescissions package, and somehow Congress always finds a way to screw up the regular spending bill process.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 22 July 2025
Now the most popular thing on this carnival ride is the Home Run Derby, which isn’t baseball, but a show of strength — and to me, a clown show with juiced baseballs.
Tatis wisely chose to skip this Derby, which has been known to screw up swings.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screwup. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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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