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
Chris Welch, The Verge, 17 Sep. 2024
There were so many lies, gaffes and screwups that there isn’t enough room to list them.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2024
Wes Siler, Outside Online, 17 Oct. 2024
And this coming from a guy who was pushed out of his own company for screwing up the response to one of those hard-to-predict edge cases (a human driver struck a pedestrian, sending her flying into the path of one of Cruise’s robotaxis).
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwup 
Noun
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
There were so many lies, gaffes and screwups that there isn’t enough room to list them.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2024
Verb
My first assumption on the hunt with Walz was that somebody had screwed up, failing to place the birds in the pre-planned locations.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 17 Oct. 2024
And this coming from a guy who was pushed out of his own company for screwing up the response to one of those hard-to-predict edge cases (a human driver struck a pedestrian, sending her flying into the path of one of Cruise’s robotaxis).
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwup
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'screwup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near screwup
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screwup. Accessed 5 Nov. 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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