screw up

screw up
phrasal verb
Word forms "screw up":
present tense I/you/we/they screw up he/she/it screws up present participle screwing up past tense screwed up past participle screwed up
1) [transitive] to make something into a smaller shape by squeezing or twisting it

Several pages had been screwed up and tossed in the basket.

2)
a) [transitive] if you screw up your eyes, you close them tightly
b) if you screw up your face, you pull your forehead down and push your mouth and nose up, usually to show that you dislike something
3) [intransitive/transitive] very informal to make a serious mistake, or to spoil something, especially a situation

I really screwed up this time, didn't I?

He made a bad decision that screwed up his entire life.

4) [transitive] informal to make someone feel so upset or confused that their whole personality is affected, often permanently

Divorce doesn't have to screw your children up.

5) screw up the courage/nerve to do something to prepare mentally for doing something difficult

I'm trying to screw up enough nerve to ask her a favour.


English dictionary. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Screw — (skr[udd]), n. [OE. scrue, OF. escroue, escroe, female screw, F. [ e]crou, L. scrobis a ditch, trench, in LL., the hole made by swine in rooting; cf. D. schroef a screw, G. schraube, Icel. skr[=u]fa.] 1. A cylinder, or a cylindrical perforation,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • screw — [skro͞o] n. [ME screwe < MFr escroue, hole in which the screw turns < L scrofa, sow, infl. by scrobis, vulva] 1. a) a mechanical device for fastening things together, consisting essentially of a cylindrical or conical piece of metal… …   English World dictionary

  • Screw — Screw, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Screwed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Screwing}.] 1. To turn, as a screw; to apply a screw to; to press, fasten, or make firm, by means of a screw or screws; as, to screw a lock on a door; to screw a press. [1913 Webster] 2. To… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Screw — (kurz für: screwing chopping) ist eine Remix Technik der Hip Hop Musik, die aus dem Süden der USA stammt. Dabei wird ein Lied (meist ein Hip Hop Track) in langsamer Geschwindigkeit abgespielt (screwed zu deutsch etwa: heruntergeschraubt), Teile… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • screw — screw·able; screw; screw·drive; screw·driv·er; screw·er; screw·less; screw·man; un·screw; cork·screw; …   English syllables

  • screw — ► NOUN 1) a thin, sharp pointed metal pin with a raised spiral thread running around it and a slotted head, used to join things together by being rotated in under pressure. 2) a cylinder with a spiral ridge or thread running round the outside… …   English terms dictionary

  • screw up — {v. phr.}, {slang}, {semi vulgar}, {best avoided} 1. To make a mess of, to make an error which causes confusion. * /The treasurer screwed up the accounts of the Society so badly that he had to be fired./ 2. To cause someone to be neurotic or… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • screw up — {v. phr.}, {slang}, {semi vulgar}, {best avoided} 1. To make a mess of, to make an error which causes confusion. * /The treasurer screwed up the accounts of the Society so badly that he had to be fired./ 2. To cause someone to be neurotic or… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Screw 32 — was a Berkeley/ East Bay area punk rock band. Their name is derived from an anti skateboarding measure on the ballots in Concord, California. They were noted for self publicity. For example, they ordered stickers by the thousands and stuck them… …   Wikipedia

  • screw-up — noun count usually singular INFORMAL a situation in which someone makes a big mistake: There s been a big screw up with the mailing list no one s received the invitations. another government screw up …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • screw up — (something) to spoil or damage something. You couldn t screw up much worse than I did. Somehow the lawyer screwed up my appointment again. This is detailed work, and people screw it up once in a while …   New idioms dictionary

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