screw up

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.

"I was able to screw up as a teenager and not have it filmed and amplified all over the place."

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

“If we screw up and can’t fix it, we should fail, and other companies will continue on doing good work and servicing customers,” Altman wrote in a lengthy X post.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

In other words: “We screwed up, but we can screw up better.”

From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025

Or maybe our stubborn myopia is what this Superman means when he says, “I screw up all the time but that is being human.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025

You want me to screw up my life?

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin