screwdriver

American  

[skroo-drahy-ver] / ˈskruˌdraɪ vər /

noun

screwdrivers plural

1. a hand tool for turning a screw, consisting of a handle attached to a long, narrow shank, usually of metal, which tapers and flattens out to a tip that fits into the slotted head of a screw.

2. a mixed drink made with vodka and orange juice.

---

screwdriver British  

/ ˈskruːˌdraɪvə /

noun

1. a tool used for turning screws, usually having a handle of wood, plastic, etc, and a steel shank with a flattened square-cut tip that fits into a slot in the head of the screw

2. an alcoholic beverage consisting of orange juice and vodka

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• screwdrivers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of screwdriver

First recorded in 1770–80; screw + driver

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

screwdriver screwdrivers

Today the big black-and-white birds with their red screwdriver bills thrill East Coast beachgoers with their emphatic whistles once again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The FBI collected a screwdriver containing Robinson’s DNA on the rooftop of a building at Utah Valley University and a firearm wrapped in a towel that had been discarded in a nearby wooded area.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025

Marks that look like they were made with a screwdriver or crowbar were left behind.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025

Getting any product to consumers, whether it's a can of sardines or a screwdriver, requires that supply chains function well.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2024

In Leo’s hands, it wasn’t much bigger than a screwdriver.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Its factories once stretched for nearly a mile down Myrtle Street, pumping out millions of screwdrivers, drills and other tools that, without exaggeration, helped build America over the past two centuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

Keep a box with these essential basics: a tape measure, claw hammer, utility knife, level, crescent wrenches, hex keys, a handsaw, pliers, multiple screwdrivers and a collection of screws and nails.

From Seattle Times ● May 29, 2023

Their workstations are similarly strewn with the tools of their trade - small screwdrivers, chisels, files, clamps, brushes.

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2023

Notice how it is shut tight with unique screws that require special screwdrivers.

From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2022

Maybe it will even be a place where I trade my guns and knives for more productive tools, screwdrivers and nails and shovels.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth