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
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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
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unscrewedsimple
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had unscrewedperfect
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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:
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
They are also incredibly intelligent - so smart they have even been caught helping each other unscrew scientific tracking devices - and they have also been known to strike up long-term, meaningful friendships with humans.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2023
One recent sunny day, Skoda clambered up a ladder to unscrew the blue and yellow Miri’s at Golden Gardens surfboard affixed to the south side of the building.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
“We found their weak spot. We found where we could unscrew the nut. It is the task of reconnaissance to find the weak spot.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 1, 2022
“It’s not poetry. It’s not metaphor. It’s instructions. We are supposed to go to Margo’s room and unscrew the lock from the door and unscrew the door itself from its jamb.”
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
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 wants to brag about this encounter, like a knight errant bragging about his coolness as he unscrews the spike from the monster’s heart and breathes life back into the fiery nostrils.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
At one point he even unscrewed the computer tower to take some internal components home for tests.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
I wouldn’t have expected to become so interested in screws being unscrewed, tabs unbent, machines reduced to component parts, cleaned and painted, with missing parts newly fabricated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2024
Vance asked as he unscrewed the plastic cap from the bottle.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2024
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
He took out the plastic bottle of water and unscrewed the cap and held it out and the boy took it and stood drinking.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
"There's been an army of people for the last 48 hours unscrewing anything they could," he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2025
This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 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
Getting to the SSD is a tricky business, involving removing the rubber ring on the bottom of the device, unscrewing the panel, and pulling out the unshielded power supply.
From The Verge ● Mar. 21, 2022
My plans for revenge, such as unscrewing the lightbulb, locking the door and hiding his clothes, have unfortunately had to be abandoned in the interests of peace.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
