screwup
Americannoun
-
a mistake or blunder.
The package was delayed through an addressing screwup.
-
a habitual blunderer.
Etymology
Origin of screwup
1955–60; noun use of verb phrase screw up
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.
It fully blamed ICE for this screwup, by the way, and stated unequivocally that “this regrettable error” had occurred because ICE counsel repeatedly gave DOJ lawyers false information.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026
Travis is a well-meaning screwup who comes from a family of cops but can’t get a place on the police force.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
You know, she's a screwup, she's not great.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2023
Silicon Valley Bank’s demise on one level is a straightforward tale of a financial screwup.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2023
No wonder Zane was turning into such a screwup.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
