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Showing results for corkscrew. Search instead for corkscrewed.
Synonyms

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

With her electric green eyes, corkscrew hair and husky contralto voice, Dame Cleo became the most recognisable British jazz singer in history.

From BBC • Jul. 25, 2025

Equal parts object of design and functionality, this accordion-style corkscrew wine opener is made of nickel-plated steel and was first invented in France in the 1920s.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024

Where shorter colonies spun around an axis, like a spiraling football, longer chains would buckle and coil like a corkscrew.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

He dives and surfaces, spraying water out of his mouth, rolls over and over in some bizarre corkscrew motion that makes me dizzy even to watch.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

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.