corkscrewing

verb

present participle of corkscrew
1
as in pulling
to draw out by force or with effort practically every word had to be corkscrewed out of the tight-lipped witness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in winding
to follow a circular or spiral course the trail corkscrews through dense woods to the top of the steep hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of corkscrewing Bystanders captured video showing the jet corkscrewing toward the ground, then disappearing behind homes before a large black plume of smoke appears. — Pete Muntean, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corkscrewing
  1. pulling
  2. winding
  3. prying
  4. coiling
  5. yanking
  6. curling
  7. extracting
  8. curving
Verb
  • Rescue crews were able to save lives in their response by pulling an elderly woman out of a tree when her house washed away, Green said.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Valencia led off the fourth inning with his sixth home run in 50 career at-bats, pulling the Tigers within a run.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of pulling
Verb
  • Tendrils of jasmine dangle from balconies; Romanesque statues rise from winding pathways shrouded in vines.
    — Christina Pérez, Vogue, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Passing through the gates and up a winding road lined with cedar, palm, and pine trees, the villa comes into view, and my anxiety quickly gives way to excitement.
    — Ken Gawrych, Robb Report, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of winding
Verb
  • Netflis is keeping the logline a hop, skip and a jump from prying eyes but it is known to be a mother-daughter story involving teleportation.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This $10 option comes with three privacy glass screen protectors that will shield your screen from damage and prying eyes at the same time.
    — Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of prying
Verb
  • Joe Kramm | Courtesy of Francis Interiors The gold background is a spread of bold graphic lines, undulating shapes and coiling circular motifs, referencing the work of French artist, sculptor and designer Jean Dunand (1877–1942).
    — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Receiving a ball punched out of Tunisia’s area, the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder took one touch to knock it into space, before coiling his diminutive frame behind a fierce shot that fizzed and curled into the net.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 15 June 2026
Definition of coiling
Verb
  • The episode feinted toward genuine rapprochement before yanking the rug out, leaving the Gang pelted with an industrial-grade indoor blizzard and then happily chucking rocks at passing trains, as was Mac and Charlie’s childhood tradition.
    — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 28 July 2026
  • The tentacular Scylla is seen briefly but makes an impact, yanking sailors off Odysseus’s ship in a series of loud jump scares.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 July 2026
Definition of yanking
Verb
  • Sydney Collins had floated a curling pass to Lema, who had come on as a substitute minutes earlier.
    — Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Six minutes into the second half, an unmarked Rafael Llorente launched a curling shot from outside the box that landed in the top right corner to close the gap to 4-2.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of curling
Verb
  • These platforms function less like traditional capitalist firms than feudal estates, extracting rent from businesses, creators, and users who have little choice but to operate on their terrain.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The humidor carries more than 10,000 cigars, and King makes every cocktail in-house — down to growing his own herbs and extracting his own vanilla bean.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of extracting
Verb
  • Its bright red star Antares marks the heart of the scorpion, with a curving tail extending downward toward the horizon.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Similar to other colubrids, this species possesses a Duvernoy’s gland—a venom gland located behind the eyes and connected by a tube to grooved, backward-curving teeth at the back of the upper jaw.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of curving

Browse Nearby Words

corkscrewed
corkscrewing
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Cite this Entry

“Corkscrewing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corkscrewing. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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