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
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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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Examples 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
Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
Collection Much like Nightmare Before Christmas, Joe Dante’s enduring horror favorite Gremlins plays like someone wanted to see how badly a bunch of little monsters could screw up the setting of another Christmas classic.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 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
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
Collection Much like Nightmare Before Christmas, Joe Dante’s enduring horror favorite Gremlins plays like someone wanted to see how badly a bunch of little monsters could screw up the setting of another Christmas classic.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
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Then there were lesson plans, radon measurements, lead tests, plumbing and fire safety checks, and blueprints, each done according to very specific requirements where any mistakes would set them back months more.ProPublica, ProPublica, 10 Jan. 2025
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Structured processes like those in the military, Pixar, and Google demonstrate how providing psychological safety and encouraging honest feedback can lead to learning from mistakes and continuous improvement.Thomas Bostick, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The flavors showcase vanilla cream corn, black pepper, and butcher's paper.Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
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The butcher hacks off the cuts, dices them on a block and pops them into a black plastic bag that hides the meat.Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024
Verb
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By contrast, their opponents have fumbled 21 times, with the Chiefs pouncing on eight of those.Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2025
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Junior running back Ashton Jeanty fumbled the ball twice — one of those was recovered by the Broncos — en route to falling just short of breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record.Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Credit them with winning 10 games although losing three of their last four and blowing a chance to win the ACC championship and get into the playoff put a huge damper on the season.Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
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The corsetry just kind of blew me out of the water.Shelby Wax, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But if a goalkeeper blunders like Illan Meslier did at Hull City (above) on Saturday, patience is going to be tested.Phil Hay, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The Packers stumbled down the stretch, losing three of five, including two in a row.Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
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Thomas watches as a naked virgin rides a horse, which is meant to stumble upon reaching the grave of a vampire.Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Well, Neptune and his Wildcats might just be ruining the convenient narrative.CJ Moore, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.Don Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communication line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of the Media.USA TODAY, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
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There’s very little room for error if growth does not accelerate in the coming years.Trefis Team, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near screwup
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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