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Definition of screw noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    screw

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//skru//
     
     
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  1. 1[countable] a thin, pointed piece of metal like a nail with a raised spiral line (called athread) 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. Topic CollocationsDecorating and Home Improvementhouses
    • refurbish/renovate a building/a house
    • convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/ apartments/condominiums/condos
    • extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
    • build an addition (on/to something)/a sunroom/a deck
    • knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
    • knock out/down the wall separating two rooms
    decorating
    • furnish/paint/repaint a home/house/apartment/room
    • be decorated in bright 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
    • build/put up shelves
    • lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio floor
    • put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
    home improvement
    • do carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring (yourself)
    • make home improvements
    • add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
    • install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
    • insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/the attic
    • fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking faucet
    • block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink/drain
    • make/drill/fill a hole
    • hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
    • tighten/loosen/remove a screw
    • saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
    see corkscrew
  2. 2[countable] an act of turning a screw
  3. 3[countable] a propeller on a ship, a boat, or an aircraft
  4. Idioms
    have a screw loose
     
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    to be slightly strange in your behavior
    put the screws on (somebody)
     
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    to force someone to do something by frightening and threatening them
    a turn of the screw
     
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    an extra amount of pressure, cruelty, etc. added to a situation that is already difficult to bear or understand
See screw in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary