screw up
Britishverb
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to twist out of shape or distort
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to summon up or call upon
to screw up one's courage
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informal (also intr) to mishandle or make a mess (of)
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informal (often passive) to cause to become very anxious, confused, or nervous
he is really screwed up about his exams
noun
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Muster or summon up; see pluck up one's courage .
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Make a mess of an undertaking; also, make a mistake, as in I really screwed up this report , or She said she was sorry, admitting that she had screwed up . Some authorities believe this usage is a euphemism for fuck up . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
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Injure, damage, as in I screwed up my back lifting all those heavy books . [ Slang ]
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Make neurotic or anxious, as in Her family really screwed her up, but her therapist has helped her a lot . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“They screwed up, basically, and when you screw up, you gotta be accountable,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
“I catch crocodiles, and a crocodile has never managed to screw up my ribs like that,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025
In other words: “We screwed up, but we can screw up better.”
From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh insists Rangers did not "screw up" the process to appoint head coach Danny Rohl but admits it looked "clunky" from the outside.
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025
In my mind, I heard Sr. Rivera ask him about Maribel, and I saw Garrett screw up his face because he didn’t understand what Sr. Rivera was saying.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
