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to screw

to screw

7.8
To cheat someone to get an advantage, often by lying
  • verb
  • /skru/
  • Informal
translation icon : timar
  • The first way banks try to screw you into paying them is?
  • get screwed

Well folks, I got screwed and I'm very sorry.

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Examples

  • You were trying to screw us.

  • I never knew what he was going to do - except screw me most of the time.

    Academic text (2006)
  • So we're sort of saying screw you to the middle class here.

  • We have done nothing but screw up since we left the house.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I screwed up, and Michael spent eight years in prison.

  • And then not having an alarm clock turns out to screw you, Norm.

  • Well folks, I got screwed and I'm very sorry.

  • You better not screw up Dad's car.

  • There's a lot riding on this, so don't screw it up.

  • The company tried to screw the workers by cutting their bonuses without warning.

Synonyms

to cheat
vsto screw
474 1.2

To act dishonestly to gain an unfair advantage

emphasizes trickery and disadvantage rather than only rule breaking
to shaft
vsto screw
  • Informal
11 7.7

To treat someone unfairly or cheat them

focuses more on deceit and deliberate dishonest disadvantage
to chouse
vsto screw
9.9

To trick someone and take their money or things

is a general term for unfair dishonest disadvantage

Idioms

to screw the pooch
  • Offensive
9 9.9

Make a very bad mistake because you are not careful

screw this
  • Offensive
1 9.8

An angry short phrase you say when you give up or stop doing something

An event that makes a tense or difficult situation worse

Phrasal Verbs

to screw up
  • Informal
641 6.3

To make a mistake that ruins what you are doing

22 5.0

To make your face show a strong feeling like pain or dislike

to screw off
  • Offensive
3 9.5

To tell someone rudely to go away or to stop working and relax

Attach something to a wall or wood by turning a metal piece into it

To put more pressure on someone so they do what you want

Compounds

screw-up
  • Informal
33 6.1

A careless mistake that causes problems or embarrassment

screw-up
  • Offensive
22 7.0

A person who often makes mistakes in important situations

screw-loose
  • Offensive
12 9.0

Behaving in a strange or not sensible way

machine screw
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A metal screw with the same width along its length used with a nut or in a threaded hole

1 2.8

A small metal piece with a spiral thread that you turn to hold things together

screw eye
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A short metal rod with a round loop at one end for hanging things

A tool for pulling a cork out of a bottle

cap screw
  • Specialized
6.6

A screw with a finished head that you screw into a threaded hole to hold machine parts together

Allen screw
  • Specialized
6.3

A screw with a six-sided hole in the head that you turn with a hex key

6.8

A large strong screw with a square or six-sided head driven with a wrench into wood to hold heavy things

A small shrub with hairy leaves and bright orange-red flowers

Phillips screw
  • Specialized
3.9

A screw with a cross-shaped slot in its head that you turn with a matching screwdriver

screw jack
  • Specialized
5.6

A tool that lifts heavy things by turning a screw, often used to raise a car

screw key
  • Specialized
5.5

A small tool that fits into a screw head to turn it

screw log
  • Archaic
9.9

A long round object with rotating fins that measures how fast a ship moves in water

screw auger
  • Specialized
7.7

A hand tool with a spiral metal blade that makes holes in wood

screw augur
  • Specialized
9.9

A kind of orchid that has tall stems and a spiral of small white, sweet-smelling flowers

screw bean
  • Specialized
9.8

A dry-land shrub or small tree with spiral seed pods from the US Southwest and Mexico

screw bean
  • Specialized
9.9

A sweet spiral seed pod from a dry-land tree that animals eat or people grind into meal

A tropical tree with strong roots that grow above the ground, long narrow leaves, and conelike edible fruit

A tool with one movable jaw that you move by turning a screw to hold nuts or bolts

screw press
  • Specialized
6.4

A machine that uses a long turned metal rod to squeeze liquid from solid things

screw propeller
  • Specialized
5.3

A device with angled blades that turns to push a boat or plane forward

screw thread
  • Specialized
5.0

A raised spiral on a screw or bolt makes it hold things when you turn it

A tropical tree or shrub with seed pods twisted like a spiral

screw-pine family
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of woody plants including Pandanus and similar species with long fibrous leaves

textile screw pine
  • Australian
9.9

A tropical plant with long strong leaves people use to weave mats and hats

wing screw
  • Specialized
5.5

A small metal part with flat side pieces you can turn by hand to hold things together

How Dishonest

to defraud
  • Formal
40 6.9
to screw
  • Informal
7.8
to cheat
474 1.2
to mislead
87 3.9

Surface Forms

screw infinitive
screwed past
screwed past participle
screwing present participle
screws third person singular

Etymology

To screw someone (to cheat or treat unfairly) likely comes from the image of 'turning' or 'pressing' someone into a bad position, so if you get 'screwed' you are put at a clear disadvantage.