as in deformation
the twisting of something out of its natural or normal shape or condition
you'll regret the constant screwing of your face—someday it's going to freeze in that position!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in distorting
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in squeezing
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of screwing
New Atlas,
24 Feb. 2026
Bland policy proposals without a narrative explaining who is getting screwed and who is doing the screwing will not work.
—
ABC News,
18 Jan. 2026
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
26 June 2026
America’s favorite sport is not football, or soccer, but screwing over sports fans, which is why FIFA should hold its World Cup in the United States permanently.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2026
At least Mercedes is reverting back to screwing things together rather than gluing things in a back-to-basics manufacturing push.
—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
Screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA.
—
Jeffrey Collins,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
The screwworm gets its name from the maggots' habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
—
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Put the stopper back in the sink before re-screwing the pivot nut, horizontal rod, and sliding your under sink items back into place.
—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Finally, the professional will install hangers to reinforce your gutters before screwing the mesh guard on top.
—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.
—
Jay Reddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
For simple screwing tasks, the bits can be placed in a bit slot at one end of the tool, which can then be pivoted to either side and locked in position as needed.
—
New Atlas,
24 Feb. 2026
Bland policy proposals without a narrative explaining who is getting screwed and who is doing the screwing will not work.
—
ABC News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
The breeze was screwing with the sound system, and the temperature dropped abruptly.
—
Lily Goldberg,
Pitchfork,
26 June 2026
America’s favorite sport is not football, or soccer, but screwing over sports fans, which is why FIFA should hold its World Cup in the United States permanently.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2026
At least Mercedes is reverting back to screwing things together rather than gluing things in a back-to-basics manufacturing push.
—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
Screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA.
—
Jeffrey Collins,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
The screwworm gets its name from the maggots' habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
—
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Put the stopper back in the sink before re-screwing the pivot nut, horizontal rod, and sliding your under sink items back into place.
—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Finally, the professional will install hangers to reinforce your gutters before screwing the mesh guard on top.
—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
To make a profit from their business, American companies sent their manufacturing facilities overseas, screwing American workers by incurring smaller labor costs, therefore profiting rich investors who never had to work for it and used their money to make more money off the American consumer.
—
Jay Reddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwing
Noun
-
The European Space Agency is also using Sentinel-1 data to map ground deformation caused by the earthquakes.
-
Here on Earth, structural engineers routinely design typical building systems to yield, crack, and sustain permanent inelastic deformation during a design-level seismic event.
Verb
-
Weil writes of attention as a way of engaging with the world without the distorting lens of the ego.
-
The orchid doubles in her view, the room around her distorting.
Verb
-
Of course, attempts to get more revenue out of taxpayers would carry political risks, but voters have been open to squeezing the wealthy.
-
Coach Spencer Carbery has done a masterful job of both squeezing what’s left out of the franchise’s best-ever player — Ovechkin led the Caps in both goals (32) and points (64) in 2025-26 — while simultaneously masking the deficiencies that come with age.
Noun
-
Standard sonar often fails in shallow waters, while cameras are blinded by shifting sands and the simple distortion of rolling ocean waves.
-
Critics pointed to technological deficiencies, market distortions, misallocation of capital, inefficient state intervention, corruption, and questions about implementation.
Verb
-
Henry Bernard Montgomery, 38, was arraigned Monday afternoon on one count of third-degree killing/torturing animals and given a $20,000 bond with a GPS tether.
-
In fact, the disease has been torturing humans for at least 5,500 years, according to a study published today in the journal Nature .
Verb
-
And using what looks like a giant pile of gerbil food for half-day cooking projects just feels like cheating.
-
The chapters moved from crime rates to cheating teachers to drug dealers living with their mothers, linking unlikely variables with a kind of intellectual mischief that felt almost illicit.
Verb
-
When oil wells are shut in, the pressure underground can become imbalanced, deforming the underlying structure.
-
Their atoms are held together by strong chemical bonds and arranged in a stable crystal structure that resists deforming, even at extreme temperatures.
Verb
-
Langford was injured during Friday’s game after hustling on a double.
-
Letting go of the idea that success requires hustling at all costs — and replacing it with goals that feel attainable — can help founders shift toward a more sustainable approach, one where progress doesn't come at the cost of their well-being.
Cite this Entry
“Screwing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwing. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
