screw up

VERB

make a mess of

Synonyms

STRONGEST

botch bungle confuse flub muddle spoil

WEAK

blow bobble bollix foul up goof goof up louse make hash of mess mess up mishandle mismanage muck up muff snafu

Antonyms

STRONGEST

clear up do well enlighten explain order organize succeed

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 really don’t want to screw up the lineup,” Woods added.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

"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

Logs can smoosh as they chill; imprecise slices screw up bake times.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

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

From MarketWatch • Oct. 27, 2025

GRACE, Hope you don’t screw up multiplying 7 .

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison