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)
-
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
-
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
It angrily motioned for Seth to unscrew the lid, and then pointed at the cup.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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
He unscrews the cap of a small bottle and holds out a dropper filled with clear liquid.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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
Instead, the clamp nut had unscrewed from the barrel.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
The shaft that controlled the tail rotor then unscrewed and became detached as a result, which in turn caused the helicopter to spin out of the pilot's control.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023
Very carefully she unscrewed the top from the tube and, spreading her knees, shook out a gelatine capsule.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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
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
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
The fan’s front grate and blades were lying on the floor, and he was busily unscrewing another piece.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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.
