Meaning of screw up in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    US accent

    UK accent

  1. Verb

    screw up

    Definitions

    1. make more intense

    Examples

    • « Emotions were screwed up »
  2. 2. make a mess of, destroy or ruin

    Examples

    • « I botched the dinner and we had to eat out »
    • « the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. screw or turn higher
  4. 4. twist into a strained configuration

    Examples

    • « screw up one's face »

Famous quotes

  • « Being a working mom is not easy. You have to be willing to screw up at every level. »
    Jami Gertz
  • « If guys don't respect themselves, they don't respect other people. That's times and personalities. And all of them are not that way. But it don't take but one or two to screw up the whole crowd. »
    Richard Petty
  • « We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes - understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success. »
    Arianna Huffington
  • « I've probably earned the right to screw up a few times. I don't want the fear of failure to stop me from doing what I really care about. »
    Emma Watson

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