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corkscrew

American  
[kawrk-skroo] / ˈkɔrkˌskru /

noun

  1. an instrument typically consisting of a metal spiral with a sharp point at one end and a transverse handle at the other, used for drawing corks from bottles.

adjective

  1. resembling a corkscrew; helical; spiral.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to move in a spiral or zigzag course.

corkscrew British  
/ ˈkɔːkˌskruː /

noun

  1. a device for drawing corks from bottles, typically consisting of a pointed metal spiral attached to a handle or screw mechanism

  2. slang boxing a blow that ends with a twist of the fist, esp one intended to cut the opponent

  3. (modifier) resembling a corkscrew in shape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to move or cause to move in a spiral or zigzag course

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of corkscrew

First recorded in 1805–15; cork + screw

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She is a fashionable woman, with corkscrew curls coming down in front of her ears.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

It could be a long, slow descent with the lights out on an RAF jet, or a rapid, corkscrew down in a C-130 transport plane.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

This time I swam the corkscrew, a crazy stroke my kids learned at summer camp, where you do a freestyle stroke, roll into a back stroke, then over again into a freestyle stroke.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

Another reason to read the book: It boasts a surprise ending with a deliciously complex corkscrew conundrum.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 4, 2024

I handed John a corkscrew while I laid out the crystal—three plastic coffee cups, a jelly glass, a shaving mug, and several wide-mouthed pill bottles.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.