screws

Noun

screw (plural screws)

1. A simple machine, a helical inclined plane.
2. A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a partially or completely threaded shank, sometimes with a threaded point, and a head used to both hold the top material and to drive the screw either directly into a soft material or into a prepared hole.
3. A ship's propeller.
   • It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC, page 01
4. An Archimedes screw.
5. A steam vessel propelled by a screw instead of wheels.
6. The motion of screwing something; a turn or twist to one side.

See all 28 meanings of screw