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
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
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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Ramirez was the one and only suspect in the March 22, 2013 afternoon attack on 29-year-old Sandra Cruzes with a butcher knife in front of Cruzes’ apartment near North First and Hedding streets, not far from the county government, jail, and San Jose Police Department complexes.—
Robert Salonga,
The Mercury News,
12 Mar. 2025
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Alternatively, drive over the bridge for a casual lunch at Marrow, a zero-waste whole-animal butcher shop and bistro that neighbors Sister Pie.—
Sarah Bence,
AFAR Media,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Stash everything in your carry-on instead of fumbling at the checkpoint.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
WIRED,
18 Mar. 2025
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In hindsight the idea seems clear, but in the moment, there was a lot of fumbling around.—
Jayson Stewart,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 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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The blunder occurred while Trump, 78, was speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews military facility in Maryland after giving a speech at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 14.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
15 Mar. 2025
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The longer-term question is how much more patience and grace Trump’s base will grant Bondi, who already bears scars as the central figure in arguably the administration’s earliest blunder.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
14 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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This week, fans began to read into what was either a slip-up or an error on the Starfield Creations website that showed at least one mod, now deleted, as having a PS logo as well as Xbox and PC.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
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Except that is a simplification of what the original dialogue says, and a localization error with big consequences.—
Rafael Motamayor,
IndieWire,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screwup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwup. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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