SCREWS Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

screws

verb

present tense third-person singular of screw

as in distorts

to twist (something) out of a natural or normal shape or condition screwed up his face at the taste of the medicine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in squeezes

to rob by the use of trickery or threats managed to screw his siblings out of their share of the inheritance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of screws Loose hardware Give any bolts, brackets, and screws a quick once-over to make sure nothing has worked itself loose. — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2026 The pen cap then screws onto the lower tube to create an extended striker that's easy to grip and move. — New Atlas, 22 June 2026 Presented with an opportunity to finally confess his feelings to Nikki, our man screws the metaphorical pooch. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2026 Though, to be fair, Coop screws this up more often than not. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026 Kinto’s travel tumbler ($34) is a handsome receptacle available in a number of colors, with a lid that screws on tight and enough insulation to keep a cup of coffee warm all day long. — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025 Or are those simply screws Vrabel’s staff will tighten with more time and practice? — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 25 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for screws

Verb

The importance of his work, the difficulty of it—the Hollywood reverence almost distorts it.

— Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026
But this perception completely distorts what most Palestinians believe and are prepared to accept.

— Michael Robbins, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of distorts

Verb

But the strain extends across the Global South, where developing nations struggle with a prolonged energy crisis that disproportionately squeezes the planet’s most deprived.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Meta squeezes two independent light-guiding cores into a single standard glass strand to double its bandwidth.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Trump sometimes plucks memes from a sprawling ecosystem of online conservative supporters, and sometimes his government staff produces them as part of their official messaging.

— Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

At first, all signs point to Bobby, including a mercenary who survived the attack on Halstead Manor that Eddie tortures to extract information.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
On his latest Hyperdub release, the Japanese producer born Takahide Higuchi sings more than on previous records but tortures his voice through a gauntlet of pitch-shifter effects.

— Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 27 July 2026

Definition of tortures

Verb

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026