screw

SKROO/skɹuː/

29 meanings of screw

1
nouncountable
A small metal pin with a winding ridge that you twist into wood or plastic to hold things together.
Like a nail that you twist into wood instead of hitting it with a hammer.
Dad used a screw to fix the broken leg of the chair.
The screws on the door hinge came loose over time.
2
verbtransitive
To join things together by twisting screws into them.
He screwed the shelf to the wall above his desk.
You can screw the two boards together in just a minute.
Similarattach, fix, join, fasten, connect
Oppositeunscrew, detach
3
verbslangvulgartransitive or intransitive
A very rude word for having sex with someone.
She told him she did not want to screw on the first date.
They screwed in the back of the van after the concert.
Similarfuck, shag, bang, bonk, bed
Note
4
verbslangtransitive
To cheat someone or make them lose something in an unfair way.
The landlord screwed him out of his whole deposit.
Don't let that website screw you with hidden charges.
Similarfuck
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5
verbmildly vulgarcolloquialtransitiveimperative
A rude way to show strong anger at someone or something, or that you do not care at all.
"Screw this game," she said, and turned off the console.
"Screw the rain, we're going to the park anyway," he laughed.
Similarbugger, eff
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6
nounslangvulgarcountable
A very rude word for the act of having sex.
He joked that a quick screw was all his roommate ever thought about.
They had a screw before dinner and laughed about it afterward.
Similarshag, bonk, lay
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7
verbcolloquialtransitive
To decide to stop doing or caring about something, at least for now.
He screwed his diet for the holidays and started fresh in January.
"Let's screw the cleaning today and go to the beach," she said.
Similarforget, fuck, sack
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8
nouncountable
A simple machine that uses a winding ridge around a pole to turn small turning power into a strong push.
Like a ramp wrapped around a pole.
A screw inside the jack lets you lift a heavy car by hand.
Turning the screw in the vise pulls the jaws together to grip the wood.
Note
9
nouncountable
A turning or twisting movement to one side.
She gave the jar lid one last screw to keep it tight.
The diver turned in the air with a quick screw of her body.
Similartwist, turn, spin
10
nouncountable
The spinning blades under a ship that push it through the water.
Like a fan under the water that pushes the ship instead of blowing air.
The ship's screw turns fast under the water and drives the boat forward.
Divers checked the screw for damage after the boat hit a sandbar.
Similarpropeller
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11
verbtransitive
To force people to pay or give more than is fair.
The boss screwed extra hours out of workers who feared losing their jobs.
Greedy officials screw money from travelers at every border crossing.
Similarsqueeze, extort, wring, fleece
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12
verbtransitive
To twist a part of your body, especially your face, into a tight shape.
He screwed his face into a funny shape to make the baby laugh.
She had to screw her eyes shut against the bright sun.
Similartwist, writhe
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13
nounslangvulgarcountable
A very rude word for a person someone has sex with but does not love or date.
Everyone could tell she was just a screw to him, not a girlfriend.
He never called any of his screws twice, his friends noticed.
Similarlay, hookup
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14
nounslangderogatorycountable
A rude word that prisoners use for a prison guard.
The new screw on the cell block searched everyone twice a day.
The old screws know which prisoners to watch, the lifer said.
Similarguard, warder
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15
nouncountable
A machine that lifts water by turning a wide spiral blade inside a tube.
Like a winding slide that carries water upward when you turn it.
The farmer turned the screw by hand to raise river water into his field.
Inside the long tube, the big screw spins and carries water to the top.
16
noununcountable
Backward spin on a ball that makes it roll back after hitting another ball.
Like a yo-yo: it goes away and then spins back to you.
She hit the white ball low to give it screw, so it rolled back after the shot.
Without enough screw, the ball kept rolling forward into the pocket.
Similarbackspin, draw
Oppositetopspin
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17
verbtransitive or intransitive
To hit the white ball low so it spins back after touching another ball.
Watch how the players screw the white ball back after each shot.
He screwed the ball back to a safe spot near the rail.
Similardraw
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18
verbtransitive
To kick a ball badly by hitting it with the wrong part of your foot.
If you lean back, you will screw the ball over the goal.
She screwed the ball along the ground when she meant to chip it.
Similarmiskick, slice, shank
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19
verbdatedUSintransitiveimperative
To leave or go away from a place, often in a hurry.
"The boss is coming: screw!" the boy whispered to his friend.
If you don't like it, fuckin' screw! It's Shit Ass Pet Fuckers. That's the way it's going to be.
c. 2009, Louis CK, Shit Ass Pet FuckersHere, screw means to leave or go away quickly.
Similarscram, leave, skedaddle
Oppositestay
Note
20
noundatedcountable
A small amount of something like salt or tobacco wrapped in a twist of paper.
Grandfather always carried a screw of tobacco in his coat pocket.
The shopkeeper measured out a screw of tea for each customer.
Similartwist
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21
noundatedcountable
An old, weak horse that is not worth much money.
No one at the market wanted to buy the old screw.
The poor screw could barely pull the light cart up the hill.
Similarnag
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22
noundatedUScountable
A teacher who tests students very hard, or a very hard test itself.
The new math teacher is a real screw who fails half the class.
That history test was a screw, and nobody finished all the questions.
Similartaskmaster, grilling
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23
verbdatedUStransitive
To test a student in a very hard and strict way.
In those days, examiners would screw each student for a full hour at the blackboard.
The teacher screwed the whole class on dates and names until the bell rang.
Similargrill, quiz
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24
nounslangderogatorycountable
A person who is mean with money and makes very hard deals.
Our boss is a real screw who never pays a cent extra.
The old screw charged his own brother interest on a small loan.
Similarskinflint, miser, tightwad, cheapskate
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25
nounarchaic
The money a person is paid for working.
His screw from the factory was too small to feed his family.
A certain amount of "screw" is as necessary for a man as for a billiard-ball.
1888, Rudyard Kipling, In the Pride of His YouthHere, screw means pay, the money a person earns for working.
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26
nouncountable
A steamship pushed through the water by a spinning propeller instead of paddle wheels.
The screw left the harbor with black smoke pouring from its tall funnel.
People liked the new screws because they were faster than paddle ships.
27
nouncountable
A straight line in math that shows how a solid object can turn and slide at the same time.
Like a drill going into wood: it spins and moves forward at the same time.
The robot arm's motion follows a screw, so it turns and slides at the same time.
Engineers use a screw to describe how a drill bit turns while it moves down.
Note
28
nouncountable
A small shrimp-like animal that lives in the sea or on the beach.
The children found little screws jumping in the seaweed on the beach.
A screw no bigger than a grain of rice swam away when she lifted the wet stone.
Note
29
nouncolloquialpluralwith the
Pain and stiffness in the joints, often worse in cold or wet weather.
Grandpa's screws get worse in winter, so he wears warm gloves.
With the screws in his knees, he could hardly climb the stairs today.
Similarrheumatism
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Practice

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Origin

From Middle English screw, probably from Old French escroue meaning "nut" or "screwhole", which came from Latin scrofa meaning "female pig". An Old Dutch word for "screw" likely also influenced it.