screw Hear it!

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screw definition

screw (skro̵̅o̅)

noun

    1. a mechanical device for fastening things together, consisting essentially of a cylindrical or conical piece of metal threaded evenly around its outside surface with an advancing spiral ridge and commonly having a slotted head: it penetrates only by being turned, as with a screwdriver
      also called male screw
    2. the internal thread, or helical groove, as of a nut, into which a male screw, bolt, etc. can be turned
      also called female screw
    3. the act or an instance of turning such a screw
  1. any of various devices operating or threaded like a screw, as a jackscrew or screw propeller
    1. anything that spirals or twists like the thread of a screw
    2. the act of spiraling, twisting, or moving like this
  2. Slang a prison guard
  3. Chiefly Brit. a small amount of tobacco, salt, etc. in a twist of paper
  4. Chiefly Brit., Slang
    1. a stingy person; miser
    2. a crafty bargainer
    3. a worn-out horse
  5. Brit., Slang a salary
  6. Slang, Vulgar
    1. an act or instance of sexual intercourse
    2. a person with whom one engages in sexual intercourse, often, specif., one of specified competence

Etymology: ME screwe < MFr escroue, hole in which the screw turns < L scrofa, sow, infl. by scrobis, vulva

transitive verb

  1. to twist; turn; tighten
    1. to fasten, make secure, tighten, insert, etc. with or as with a screw or screws
    2. to put together or take apart with a screwlike motion
  2. to twist out of natural shape; contort to screw one's face up
  3. to make stronger; intensify: often with up
  4. to force or compel, as if by using screws
  5. Slang
    1. to cheat; swindle
    2. to treat unfairly
  6. Slang, Vulgar to have sexual intercourse with

intransitive verb

  1. to go together or come apart by being turned or twisted in the manner of a screw a lid that screws on
  2. to twist; turn; wind; have a motion like that of a screw
  3. Slang, Vulgar to engage in sexual intercourse
screw Idioms

have a screw loose

Slang to be eccentric, odd, etc.

put the screws on

Informal to subject to force; exert pressure on, as in exacting payment; coerce

screw around

Slang to waste time

screw up

Informal to make a mess of, as by ineptness; bungle; foul up

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
screw Synonyms

screw

n.

spiral, worm, bolt, pin; see also fastener.

Types of screws include: jack, lead, leveling, dowel, double, drive, Hindley's, lag, worm, male, outside, female, inside, Phillips (trademark), right-handed, left-handed, metric, milled, endless, reciprocal, tapping, carriage, drill, regulating, set, winged, thumb, rigger's, right-and-left, setting up, society, spiral, triple, feed, wood, machine, dry wall, sheet metal.

have a screw loose*

be crazy, be touched in the head, be off one's rocker*, be off one's nut*; see insane 1.

put the screws to*

compel, coerce, give the treatment*; see force 1.


screw

v.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

screw Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • tighten: Useful for tightening those awkward little screws in glasses.

Preposition: down

  • crown: It is water resistant to 200 meters with screw down crown.

Adjective modifier

  • stainless: The ankle was put back on with some good surgery and seven stainless steel screws.

Modifies a noun

  • extruder: The usual construction is to use the planetary section for mixing, feeding the compound into a single screw extruder for metering.

Noun used with modifier

  • grub: To change the bulb, simply remove two tiny grub screws with a hexagonal key.
screw usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

screw quotes

Thestrongest possiblepiece of advicethat Icouldgiveto any young woman is: Don't screwaround and don't smoke.

-Currie, Edwina

screw quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"screw." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/screw>

APA Style

screw. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/screw

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