A corkscrew is a tool designed to remove corks from bottles. It works by twisting a metal spiral (called a worm) down into the cork, then pulling the cork out. The spiral grips the cork from the inside, making it possible to extract it without pushing it into the bottle or breaking it apart.

The word also describes anything that moves in a tight, spiraling pattern. A road might corkscrew up a mountain, winding round and round as it climbs. A roller coaster with a corkscrew turn spins riders upside down in a complete 360-degree spiral. Fighter pilots perform corkscrew maneuvers, spiraling through the sky.

In math, a corkscrew pattern could be defined as motion that travels in circles around the main axis of movement, a pattern that is also known as a helix.