unscrew
Americanverb (used with object)
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unscrews,
present (3rd person singular)
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unscrewed,
past participle, past
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unscrewing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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unscrews,
present (3rd person singular)
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unscrewed,
past participle, past
-
unscrewing
present participle
verb
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(tr) to draw or remove a screw from (an object)
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(tr) to loosen (a screw, lid, etc) by rotating continuously, usually in an anticlockwise direction
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(intr) (esp of an engaged threaded part) to become loosened or separated
the lid wouldn't unscrew
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unscrewsimple
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unscrewssimple
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have unscrewedperfect
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has unscrewedperfect
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am unscrewingprogressive
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are unscrewingprogressive
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is unscrewingprogressive
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have been unscrewingperfect progressive
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has been unscrewingperfect progressive
Past
-
unscrewedsimple
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had unscrewedperfect
-
was unscrewingprogressive
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were unscrewingprogressive
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had been unscrewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unscrew
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.
See Examples For:
They can navigate mazes, use tools and unscrew jars — sometimes from the inside out.
From Salon ● May 12, 2025
As Alemu helped her young children unscrew parts while she rewired their toys, she hoped they’d take away a much larger lesson about sharing.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2023
Take a moment and unscrew the lids of the cumin and chili powder jars, sniff, and see what moves you.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
It took the man just a few seconds to unscrew a steel plug, smaller than a coffee mug.
From BBC ● May 23, 2023
Hollow plastic parakeets full of sweets with heads you could unscrew.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
On a recent visit, a technician unscrews one of the jars, empties the formaldehyde and rinses the krill under running water, a dozen fitting in the palm of his hand.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
After 10 minutes of intermittent whirring, Wesley lays down the device and unscrews the top of a closed Petri dish connected to the machine with a rubber tube.
From The Verge ● Jul. 8, 2014
The top corks tightly to keep water fresh and cold, and the bottom unscrews for easier cleaning.
From Inc ● Oct. 29, 2012
“It unscrews and all the pieces nest, so they stack,” Elizabeth Thompson, the institute’s executive director, said.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2011
He unscrews the cap of a small bottle and holds out a dropper filled with clear liquid.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
At one point he even unscrewed the computer tower to take some internal components home for tests.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Crews also have been installing locked steel covers over bolts so they cannot be unscrewed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
"The plunger needs to be unscrewed and disassembled to get all the oils and coffee grounds out," he says.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2023
Investigators discovered that a clamp nut threaded into the barrel of the actuator and that connects the top of the assembly to the stabilizer had unscrewed from the barrel.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022
At one end was a vent, easily unscrewed, that led out onto a flat section of roof.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
“I solve it by unscrewing the removable part of the frame that lets you take the tiles out,” he said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 1, 2023
The Czech government announced on Thursday it was unscrewing half of lightbulbs at the government office and swapping remaining old bulbs for less-consuming LED sources.
From Reuters ● Sep. 22, 2022
On newsreels after that date you can see royals experimenting with different forms of waving, including the Queen as a girl trying out the type of rotating wave that looks like unscrewing an light bulb.
From BBC ● May 31, 2022
A bunch of workers rushed over to The Dessoug with tools, and they started unscrewing plates on the side of the hull.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
