screw up Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. verb make more intense
   heat up; hot up.
   
   • Emotions were screwed up
2. verb make a mess of, destroy or ruin
   muck up; foul up; blow; botch up; botch; bollix; fumble; mishandle; bollocks; bumble; ball up; bobble; bollocks up; spoil; bollix up; fuck up; fluff; flub; bodge; muff; louse up; mess up; bungle.
   
   • I botched the dinner and we had to eat out
   • the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement
3. verb screw or turn higher
   
4. verb twist into a strained configuration
   
   • screw up one's face

WordNet