1
as in mistake
an unintentional departure from truth or accuracy
clearly, there's been some sort of screwup about what time we were supposed to meet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in butcher
someone who bungles an effort
don't ask the office screwup to arrange the holiday party
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fumble
to make a mistake
we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to blow
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwup
Bynick Rockel, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
Similar screwups would occur again and again over the years, with each side perennially overinterpreting the other’s behavior while explaining away its own.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Erik Kain, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for screwup 
Noun
Then there’s Uber, whose data quality controls missed an accounting screwup that cost it $45 million in back pay for drivers.
—Bynick Rockel, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024
Similar screwups would occur again and again over the years, with each side perennially overinterpreting the other’s behavior while explaining away its own.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Of course, if CDPR screws up again gamers might not be so lenient.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
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Unexpected weather and a wedding processional mistake made one couple's wedding day all the more memorable.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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And there are plenty of inspector-general reports to support my view that there have been mistakes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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And no one does Cajun quite like Cochon Butcher in New Orleans, the butcher shop/restaurant from renowned chef Donald Link.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
27 Jan. 2025
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Son of a carpenter and a butcher’s helper, Mr. Herrmann spent his childhood in Braunschweig in the shadow of the iconic carmaker’s factories – emblems of Germany’s postwar Wirtschaftswunder, or economic miracle.—
Lenora Chu,
The Christian Science Monitor,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Snoop Dogg couldn't fumble the opportunity to roast the nearly 50-year age gap between football coach Bill Belichick and his girlfriend at the NFL Honors.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
7 Feb. 2025
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The seventh season will no doubt spotlight Leclerc’s win in his native Monaco, Norris fumbling his first WDC and Carlos Sainz’s search for an F1 seat after Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari.—
Lily Ford,
The Hollywood Reporter,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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But the wind is blowing strangely now that Donald Trump is back in the White House as President and officially fighting against diversity, equity and inclusion.—
Evan Clark,
WWD,
3 Feb. 2025
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Place them at the center of the dining table or display them on a windowsill — without worrying about blowing them out at the end of the night.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The blunders were addressed afterward by Rob McIntosh, the chief people officer of Stripe, in a memo to employees shared with CNN.—
John Towfighi,
CNN,
23 Jan. 2025
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But that was just one of the city’s many policy blunders of that era.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Then came an unexpected loss to West Virginia in the Bahamas and a few high-profile December stumbles.—
Jon Wilner,
The Mercury News,
3 Feb. 2025
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It's been nearly two weeks since Billy Ray Cyrus stumbled onstage during a performance at President Donald Trump's inauguration celebration.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
Fox News,
2 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Weeknd nearly ruins the weekend Ladies and gentlemen, the… weakest link of the night?—
Gerrad Hall,
EW.com,
3 Feb. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Miami Herald,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The intended answer, 88 ounces, indicated that a programming or grading error had been made after the child had handed the paper over.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near screwup
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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