1
as in to sway
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the room lurched with every jolt of the earthquake
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
dressed in his zombie costume, the boy lurched down the street in his quest for Halloween candy
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in washout
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lurch
Tonya Simpson, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
Philip Elliott, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
The film lurches between scenes of lush romantic melodrama and moments of Grand Guignol bloodletting.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Verb
On Halloween of 2022, just weeks into the new school year, senior Ehni Ler Htoo was making his way through the halls of Proctor High School in Utica, New York, when a fellow student lurched at him from behind, repeatedly plunging a 9-inch hunting knife into his back.
—Tonya Simpson, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
And Americans who want a Covid booster are left in a lurch because Kennedy’s antipathy now limits what is covered by insurance plans.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
The film lurches between scenes of lush romantic melodrama and moments of Grand Guignol bloodletting.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
Verb
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Ultimately, Turetsky says, Mamdani’s plans will rely on his ability to control and sway the board.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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In the closing days of a special election on whether to remake California’s congressional districts, supporters and opponents of Proposition 50 have made a final push in San Diego County to sway voters on a ballot measure that could help decide control of Congress.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Its board of directors has six seats, with elections staggered so that half of the board turns over at a time.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
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Multiple batteries can address longer gaps in energy production when their discharges are staggered.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Market breadth was negative but not a washout, new 52-week highs were still well ahead of new lows.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
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The storm also left people trapped in seven vehicles on nearby roads after overflowing creeks caused washouts, deputies said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Whether it’s shaken, stirred, dirty, or dry, the martini remains one of the world’s most iconic and timeless drinks.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
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Start the process by vigorously shaking or hanging then pounding the rug to remove loose dirt, crumbs, and other particles, then vacuum it thoroughly on both sides, using a canister vacuum with the hose or a high pile setting—and no beater bar!—
Jennifer Beck Goldblatt,
Architectural Digest,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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From the perspective of a world of increasingly unimaginable maldistribution of resources, cascading ecological collapse, a genocide cheered on by a putatively liberal order, both are barbarisms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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The letter, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, comes just days before al-Sharaa’s first visit to Washington since taking power following the collapse of the Assad regime.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts rocked the NFL world on Tuesday when the teams worked out a massive trade deal just hours before the NFL's trade deadline.—
Anne Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Hard landing Shein’s touchdown in Paris was almost scuppered by a scandal that rocked France over the weekend.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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All six of those teams have either two or three total conference games left on their schedule, so the chances for those upsets to take place are minimal.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
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There were plenty of upsets, from Houston falling to West Virginia to SMU potentially knocking Miami out of the playoffs one week after the Mustangs lost to Wake Forest.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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One of his conclusions after all that government service was that Congress had scraped too much power away from the presidency after the fiasco of Vietnam and scandal of Watergate.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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According to a post on the Reddit Wedding Shaming forum, a woman detailed the fiasco surrounding her cousin’s wedding.—
Emily Strohm,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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