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 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

Because of its large field of view, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help researchers better understand dark matter by capturing how the phenomenon's gravity bends light and distorts a galaxy's shape.

— Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Saliva collects at the mouthpiece and distorts the notes, making the blasts sound hoarse and off-pitch.

— Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of distorts

Verb

If internal fluid pressure drops during aggressive extraction, the surrounding earth squeezes the cavern inward, permanently shrinking total storage capacity and crushing steel well casings.

— Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
As engine speed rises, centrifugal force squeezes the drive clutch closed and pushes the belt farther outward.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Working on his audio venture makes Jacob more narcissistic and less socially competent; the podcast deforms his understanding of what friends are for.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Beneath that sits a tough magnesium alloy layer, followed by a hyper-elastic foam that deforms heavily to swallow the brunt of the kinetic shock waves.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Definition of deforms

Verb

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
But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.

— Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

After Max tortures them in a mock-trial confrontation in their living room, Tom eventually tackles Max into the backyard pool.

— Benjamin VanHoose, PEOPLE, 31 July 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

Open for breakfast and lunch, the eatery sticks largely to the classics—think omelets, pancakes, eggs Benedict, and plenty of biscuits, best enjoyed smothered in gravy, of course.

— Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
Suppose a teenager visiting a zoo breaks into a lion’s cage and sticks his head into the beast’s mouth.

— Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026