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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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
Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Robby doesn’t want to involve the police and screw up David’s life if this is a false alarm, or there’s still a chance to talk to the kid.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025
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
If one of the 11 messes up, the whole thing’s screwing up.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Robby doesn’t want to involve the police and screw up David’s life if this is a false alarm, or there’s still a chance to talk to the kid.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screwup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwup
Noun
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How does that kind of high-consequence mistake happen?—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2025
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This makes people more forgiving when leaders make mistakes.—
Tendayi Viki,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Denise, her sister-in-law and the child had stopped inside a butcher shop when James disappeared.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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The unedited bodycam footage, recorded from the perspective of the officer who fired his service weapon and the bodycam of his partner, also shows Pike concealed the butcher knife with what appears to be paper or cloth on a bedside table.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After Hovland calmly made a bogey on the last to secure the win, PGA Tour fans wasted no time grilling Thomas for fumbling a golden opportunity.—
Kevin Sabet,
Newsweek,
23 Mar. 2025
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Gonzaga did have a shot to tie on its final possession, but Khalif Battle fumbled a handoff and had his desperation 3-pointer blocked by Ja’Vier Francis.—
CJ Moore,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At night, after the final whistle was blown, thousands of jubilant fans poured into the streets, heading toward the city’s bars to continue the debauchery, sometimes till dawn.—
Andrew McNicol,
CNN,
22 Mar. 2025
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The thought flashed through my mind that only an idiot would blow the chance of a lifetime.—
Jim Tappan,
Outdoor Life,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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After coalescing with ultranationalists to establish the nation's furthest right government in late 2022, the former special forces commando who had already become Israel's longest serving premier largely deflected criticism over the intelligence blunder of October 7, 2023.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
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Yet, the Trump White House and leading Republicans in Congress have tried mightily to put a positive spin on the colossal blunder, even as Democrats pounced on it.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With Pochettino watching from the sidelines, the national team stumbled through its second lifeless loss in four days Sunday, falling to Canada 2-1 in the third place game of the CONCACAF Nations League before a tiny, mostly quiet crowd at SoFi Stadium.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Severance Ever since Helly and Mark stumbled upon a room filled with goats in Season 1 of Severance, fans have been wondering why Lumon is raising these animals in their walls.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacramento Bee,
23 Mar. 2025
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But those stocks were mined with some gusto, and large portions of the island were essentially ruined.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuit claims medical errors happened during the procedure, which led to the bowel perforation.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2025
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All the results were just outside margins of error.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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