lurch

1 of 5

verb (1)

lurched; lurching; lurches

intransitive verb

1
: to move with a lurch
suddenly lurched forward
also : stagger
has lurched from crisis to crisis Jere Longman
2
: to roll or tip abruptly : pitch

lurch

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: an abrupt jerking, swaying, or tipping movement
the car moved forward with a lurch
2
: a sudden roll of a ship to one side

lurch

3 of 5

noun (2)

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

lurch

4 of 5

verb (2)

lurched; lurching; lurches

transitive verb

1
: to defeat by a lurch (as in cribbage)
2
archaic : to leave in the lurch

lurch

5 of 5

verb (3)

lurched; lurching; lurches

intransitive verb

dialectal, chiefly England : to loiter about a place furtively : prowl

transitive verb

1
archaic : cheat
2
obsolete : steal
Phrases
in the lurch
: in a vulnerable and unsupported position
At the peak of the noonday rush the cashier stalked out and left him in the lurch.

Examples of lurch in a Sentence

Verb (1) the room lurched with every jolt of the earthquake dressed in his zombie costume, the boy lurched down the street in his quest for Halloween candy
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
On June 18th, the Karen Read saga finally lurched to its inevitable end, when a Norfolk County jury, assigned the unenviable task of spending spring and early summer watching corruption theater in Dedham court, acquitted Ms. Read of all the serious charges against her. Tom Blakely, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025 More to come on this one as the American media M&A space makes another lurch forwards. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 June 2025
Noun
But leaving so many groups in the lurch without funding and technical support from the U.S. is incredibly consequential. Olivia Enos, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 But since the collapse of the Pac-12 in August 2023, which left OSU athletics in a lurch and ultimately led to the baseball team navigating the 2025 season as an independent, Canham practically sees those tiny rows and cells in his sleep. Lindsay Schnell, New York Times, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for lurch

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2) and Verb (2)

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

Verb (3)

Middle English lorchen, probably alteration of lurken to lurk

First Known Use

Verb (1)

circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1598, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1651, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lurch was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lurch. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

lurch

1 of 3 noun
: an overwhelming defeat in a game (as cribbage)

lurch

2 of 3 noun
1
: a sudden roll of a ship to one side
2
: a sudden jerking, swaying, or tipping movement
the car gave a lurch
also : a staggering gait

lurch

3 of 3 verb
1
: to roll or tip suddenly
2
: to move with a lurch
suddenly lurched forward

More from Merriam-Webster on lurch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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