Dictionary

unscrew en · VERB

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-West Germanic *anda- Old English and- Old English on- Middle English on- English un- Proto-Indo-European *(s)krebʰ-der.? Latin scrōfa Old French escrouebor. ▲ Old French escruveinflu. Middle English scrue English screw English unscrew From un- + screw.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To loosen a screw or thing by turning it.
   • Ms. Van Son unscrewed the pump’s handle and shoved it into her bra. 2018 December 31, Natalie Kitroeff, “‘A Pumping Conspiracy’: Why Workers Smuggled Breast Pumps Into Prison”, in The New York Times:
   • It requires opening a complex lock with a key that also unscrews a bolt six inches long. Unscrewing the bolt itself takes six minutes. 1984 May 31, Joseph Giovannini, “THE ENDURING FASCINATION OF SECRET PLACES”, in The New York Times:
   • The challenge is how to unscrew the cap with a roundhouse kick without knocking the bottle over. 2019 March 7, Mariel Padilla and Derrick Bryson Taylor, “The Bottle Cap Challenge Spins On, Helped by Cars, Sandals and Mariah Carey”, in The New York Times:
   • A young orangutan in the San Diego Zoo became famous for unbolting the screening of his crib, removing the wires, and moving through the zoo nursery, unscrewing lightbulbs. 2003 June 7, Edward Tenner, “'Our Own Devices'”, in The New York Times:
   • I'm having some trouble unscrewing the lid of this jar.

Forms

Antonyms

screw

Deriveds

unscrewable · unscrewer

Translations (25)

nb skru ut (loosen a screw etc.) · cmn 旋開 /旋开 (loosen a screw etc.) · bg отвивам (loosen a screw etc.) · es destornillar (loosen a screw etc.) · it svitare (loosen a screw etc.) · bg развинтвам (loosen a screw etc.) · ro deșuruba (loosen a screw etc.) · io desskrubagar (loosen a screw etc.) · da skrue ud (loosen a screw etc.) · hu kicsavar (loosen a screw etc.) · cmn 旋鬆 /旋松 (loosen a screw etc.) · pt desparafusar (loosen a screw etc.) · pt desaparafusar (loosen a screw etc.) · de abschrauben (loosen a screw etc.) · gl desaparafusar (loosen a screw etc.) · de losschrauben (loosen a screw etc.) · mn эрэг сулрах (loosen a screw etc.) · fi kiertää auki (loosen a screw etc.) · es desatornillar (loosen a screw etc.) · fr dévisser (loosen a screw etc.) · io desvisar (loosen a screw etc.) · pl odkręcać (loosen a screw etc.) · el ξεβιδώνω (loosen a screw etc.) · fi ruuvata auki (loosen a screw etc.) · es desenroscar (loosen a screw etc.)