swerve

verb

swerved; swerving

intransitive verb

: to turn aside abruptly from a straight line or course : deviate

transitive verb

: to cause to turn aside or deviate
swerve noun
Choose the Right Synonym for swerve

swerve, veer, deviate, depart, digress, diverge mean to turn aside from a straight course.

swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

Examples of swerve in a Sentence

He lost control of the car and swerved toward a tree. the car swerved sharply to avoid the squirrel in the road
Recent Examples on the Web But the Pretty Woman fairy tale swerves tones and genres midway through after his parents dispatch local goons to rein in the situation. Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024 But the abundant desert beauty, such as seeing shooting stars streaking over their home nearly every night, hearing coyotes howl and watching hawks swerve overhead, make up for it. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024 Part of the kick on Brat is Charli’s delirious solipsism, all synthetic robot rah-rah in the beats, but with vocals swerving between defiant egomania and vulnerably tormented self-doubt. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024 The truck — in which Davin was a passenger — swerved and hit the back of the semi. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for swerve 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swerve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sweorfan to wipe, file away; akin to Old High German swerban to wipe off, Welsh chwerfu to whirl

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of swerve was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near swerve

Cite this Entry

“Swerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swerve. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

swerve

verb
swerved; swerving
: to turn aside suddenly from a straight line or course
swerve noun

More from Merriam-Webster on swerve

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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