lurch 1 of 2

verb

ˈlərch How to pronounce lurch (audio)
Definition of lurchnext
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

lurch

2 of 2

noun

as in washout

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 lurch
Verb
The insurrection drew immediate and obvious parallels to the United States, which, during much of the past decade, has lurched alongside Brazil through a strange hall of mirrors. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 Hop on the #6 double-decker from Central to Stanley beach, which lurches around Hong Kong Island's mountainous southern South China Sea coast (sit upstairs on the right-hand side). — Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
How many comic-book films would dare to leave their audience in a lurch, even for just a few minutes? — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026 Between 1200Boom’s patient lurch and slaq’s feverish run-on, both rappers’ cadences unfurl like rugs. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
  1. sway
  2. stagger
  3. washout
  4. shake
  5. collapse
  6. rock
  7. upset
  8. fiasco
Verb
  • Instead, Stevens swayed to gospel music alongside Rogers in the pews at Perfecting Church, while El-Sayed was a few miles away at a different house of worship campaigning alongside prominent Democrats, including Clyburn.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • As Stevens swayed alongside Rogers in the pews, El-Sayed was a few miles away at another church trying to present a united front with fellow Democrats.
    — Joey Cappelletti, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of sway
Verb
  • Cam Johnson staggered with the bench unit on Wednesday instead.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2026
  • While one approach by Spoelstra has been to stagger the minutes of Antetokounmpo and Adebayo — with the Heat not playing a true backup center — even that tact has not solved the inside issues.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of stagger
Noun
  • Forty-three completed the workplace portion, wearing both the Bared Turtur and an ASOS Design Mary Jane Lottie for four weeks each, with a two-week washout period in between.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Heavy rain has already caused problems in the county, including a washout on County Road 500 late last month.
    — Jeff Todd, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of washout
Verb
  • Soon after, a warden shook Guardado and shouted his name, but got no response and a medic then pronounced him dead.
    — KIM CHANDLER, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Ueno Bank’s failure has locked nearly half the country’s 6 million people out of their savings, shaking a country long viewed as one of South America’s more stable economies.
    — Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of shake
Noun
  • Has the collapse of a corporate strategy ever been announced with such enthusiasm?
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Despite her frustration and disappointment, Zamaray urged brands not to see the measure’s collapse as a reason to relax.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of collapse
Verb
  • Explosions rocked the city as Russia fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles, several of which hit and damaged the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Himelright doesn't know the Coates family personally, but says this situation has rocked the entire community.
    — Ashley Paul, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of rock
Noun
  • While Democrats notched historic upsets nationwide — including in places like Kansas, which broke a 90-year streak — Texas carries outsized national weight given the recent corporate stampede to the state.
    — Shelly Banjo, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa has pulled off an upset in the Texas governor’s race, unseating three-term Republican incumbent Greg Abbott.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of upset
Noun
  • Mike McDaniel has been a fiasco in his first season, and Herbert looks out of sync and even lost.
    — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • In the case of the imminent Major League Baseball lockout, even an untrained ear may detect an echo of the 1994 fiasco in this latest impasse between the ownership class and labor.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of fiasco

Browse Nearby Words

lunkheads
lurch
lurched
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Cite this Entry

“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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