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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screwup
Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Travis is a well-meaning screwup who comes from a family of cops but can’t get a place on the police force.
—Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Kid Rock‘s lip-synch was screwed up.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Noun
Vince is the screwup, a mostly-former drug and gambling addict, while Jake is a successful restaurateur, running the eponymous club/restaurant Black Rabbit in Manhattan.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Travis is a well-meaning screwup who comes from a family of cops but can’t get a place on the police force.
—Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
First of all, don’t hide misdeeds and screwups, which comes naturally by not committing misdeeds and not screwing up.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Kid Rock‘s lip-synch was screwed up.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
-
Wahlin said that there’s a difference between making a mistake and making a hard-working mistake.—
Dean Spiros,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Mikaela Shiffrin improved from 12th following a costly mistake in the opening run to finish fifth and protect her lead in the overall standings.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The new Doral restaurant is slated to open in the next month or so, while the brand’s first butcher shop, next to the busy Little Havana restaurant, is scheduled to open sometime later this year.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Constructed in 1884, the main building of the hotel was originally a butcher's home and still retains tons of Old Florida charm.—
Teaghan Skulszki,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a stunning blowout Friday night, KU fumbled its conference tournament semifinal against the Houston Cougars, losing 69-47.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2026
-
This alone can shave valuable minutes off your screening and help you to breeze through the scanner instead of fumbling at the bins.—
Kayla Kitts,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Victor Wembanyama had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame an early 14-point deficit before blowing most of a 24-point lead and recovering to hold off the Los Angeles Clippers 119-115 on Monday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
When Italian thieves blew apart Knightsbridge, Prager could have fled.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Also Sunday, Deniz Undav scored for the fifth Bundesliga game in a row as a goalkeeping blunder handed Stuttgart a 1-0 win over Leipzig to strengthen its push to qualify for the Champions League.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Problems with the city’s rollout of the trash and Balboa Park parking programs didn’t help, and further built on City Hall’s history of operational snafus and policy blunders.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The movie follows Rick Power (Rudd), a wedding band singer who stumbles into a late-night jam session with former boy band star Danny (Jonas) and reignites his passion for songwriting.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Just a nibble on a leaf or petal can lead to rapid kidney damage with loss of appetite, vomiting, hypersalivation, lethargy and sometimes neurological signs such as stumbling, tremors and seizures.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The evening's historic tie almost gets totally ruined For only the seventh time in history, the Oscar vote ended in a tie.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Republicans have a tiny majority in the House, but a larger margin for error in the Senate, except for the filibuster.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Simply put, if a human operator senses something is going wrong, the robot should react before the error escalates.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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