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
2
as in butcher
someone who bungles an effort
don't ask the office screwup to arrange the holiday party
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
So messy was his operation that even the NCAA’s oafs couldn’t screw up that investigation.
—Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 19 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
But Mike gets in his face to say that Brady's the one screwing up his own life.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
So messy was his operation that even the NCAA’s oafs couldn’t screw up that investigation.
—Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
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However, a few hours later, Party admitted that recording and teasing the song was a mistake.—
Angel Diaz,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2025
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Closing Rockledge hospital is a mistake The recent decision by Orlando Health to close its Rockledge Hospital will cost lives in Cocoa.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Hunter, fisherman, chef and award-winning author Jesse Griffiths and Tamara Mayfield opened Dai Due restaurant and butcher shop in 2014 as an outgrowth of their popular supper club and farmers market stand, and the seasonal and local ethos of a farmers market is the anchor of this rustic beauty.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
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The family-friendly market will be opening after the team expands to Cary with a butcher and wine bar experience.—
CharlotteFive staff,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Messes: The Blue Jays are fumbling a star It’s been a tough few years for the Blue Jays and high-end baseball talent.—
Chris Branch,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
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Even Ferrell himself fumbled over the racy lines, which elicited so much laughter that both Thompson and Murphy struggled to hold back their smiles.—
Angela Andaloro,
People.com,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Knicks blew a 19-point lead, and Philadelphia stormed back to take a 97-96 advantage with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
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Courtenay Brown Feb 14, 2025 - Economy Trump trade plan intensifies The Trump trade war has blown past the realm of tariffs.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Still, many in Kenya condemned the talks as a political blunder by President William Ruto, and called on him to reverse course.—
Declan Walsh,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
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The verdict came after a blunder by Miami-Dade state prosecutors, who felt the need to apologize to jurors for not identifying a purse on the couch next to where Knighton was sitting in Blount’s apartment when she was shot.—
Charles Rabin,
Miami Herald,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Those concerns came to a head during Biden's debate against now-President Donald Trump in June, when Biden sounded hoarse and appeared to stumble through several answers.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
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However, the Indian stock market has stumbled recently, with the BSE 500 shedding 19% from its recent peak last September—this after climbing 14.8% in 2024 and 25.1% in 2023.—
Garth Friesen,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Sometimes, one bad person or a few bad people can ruin things for everybody.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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And that’s before factoring in an error in the data published on DOGE’s website that mislabels a contract as $8 billion, which was later corrected in the federal database to only be $8 million.—
Bloomberg News,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
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But the employee also explained that the recent layoffs will reduce the agency’s ability to defend against IT or security errors, on top of diminishing morale.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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