lurch

¹lurch

verb \ˈlərch\

Definition of LURCH

intransitive verb

dialect chiefly English

: to loiter about a place furtively : prowl

transitive verb

1

obsolete : steal

2

archaic : cheat

Origin of LURCH

Middle English lorchen, probably alteration of lurken to lurk

First Known Use: 15th century

Rhymes with LURCH

birch, church, Church, curch, merch, perch, search, smirch

²lurch

noun

Definition of LURCH

: a decisive defeat in which an opponent wins a game by more than double the defeated player's score especially in cribbage

— in the lurch

: in a vulnerable and unsupported position

Origin of LURCH

Middle French lourche, adjective, defeated by a lurch, deceived

First Known Use: 1598

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

³lurch

transitive verb

Definition of LURCH

1

archaic : to leave in the lurch

2

: to defeat by a lurch (as in cribbage)

First Known Use of LURCH

circa 1651

⁴lurch

noun

Definition of LURCH

1

: a sudden roll of a ship to one side

2

: an abrupt jerking, swaying, or tipping movement <the car moved forward with a lurch>; also : stagger 2

Origin of LURCH

origin unknown

First Known Use: 1805

⁵lurch

intransitive verb

Definition of LURCH

1

: to roll or tip abruptly : pitch

2

: to move with a lurch <suddenly lurched forward>; also : stagger <has lurched from crisis to crisis — Jere Longman>

First Known Use of LURCH

circa 1828