- 1 [countable] a thin pointed piece of metal like a nail with a raised spiral line (called a thread ) along it and a line or cross cut into its head. Screws are turned and pressed into wood, metal, etc. with a screwdriver in order to fasten two things together. One of the screws is loose. Now tighten all the screws. CollocationsDecorating and home improvementHouses refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall knock out/through the wall separating two roomsDecoration furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room be decorated in bright colours/(especially US English) colors/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings paint/plaster the walls/ceiling hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings build/put up shelves lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtainDIY/home improvement do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring make home improvements add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(usually North American English) faucet block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink make/drill/fill a hole hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood see also corkscrew Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivewood, loose verb + screwturn, loosen, tighten, … See full entry See related entries: How machines work
- 2[countable] an act of turning a screw
- 3[singular] (taboo, slang) an act of having sex
- 4[singular] (taboo, slang) a partner in sex a good screw
- 5[countable] a propeller on a ship, a boat or an aircraft See related entries: Parts of boats and ships
- 6[countable] (British English, slang) a prison officer Word Originlate Middle English (as a noun): from Old French escroue ‘female screw, nut’, from Latin scrofa, literally ‘sow’, later ‘screw’. The early sense of the verb was ‘contort (the features), twist around’ (late 16th cent.).Idioms
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//skruː//; NAmE NAmE//skruː//
Parts of boats and ships, How machines work
to be slightly strange in your behaviour
to force somebody to do something by frightening and threatening them
an extra amount of pressure, cruelty, etc. added to a situation that is already difficult to bear or understand
Check pronunciation: screw
