verb
screw
To harm someone through unfair treatment.
The dishonest seller screws customers with hidden fees.
Etymology
Screw developed coarse slang senses for coercive or exploitative treatment. In this use, the verb expresses harming people by cheating or otherwise treating them unfairly.
More examples
- He felt that the deal had screwed him.
- They have screwed us out of the promised refund.
- She refused to work for a company that was screwing its employees.
Forms
screw · screws · screwed · screwing