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
-
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
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
Be sure to turn off the circuit breakers before you unscrew the outlets and switches from the electrical boxes!
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022
I unscrew the compass and take it back to the skiff and screw it down to the middle seat.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
You might think it unscrews to let you get inside.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2019
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
She lets me sniff it when she unscrews the cap.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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
Susannah unscrewed the lid of a doll’s pink plastic sippy cup and held the cup out to Mr. Rosen.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2022
Stuart unscrewed the cap of the tank and the man put in five drops of gasoline.
From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White
Olympic staff crowded around the vault, unscrewing bolts and shuffling it up to its proper height.
From BBC ● May 1, 2023
“Something within the cylinder was unscrewing the top!”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 15, 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
Michael was in the process of unscrewing the jar, but he stopped.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
