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
Verb
Both women lose it—their eyes go skyward, and their heads lurch forward. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024 Finally, at 2 p.m. on March 20, the train lurched to a halt at the junction of Terowie, where Aussie rail track gauges changed and passengers had to swap trains. Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024
Noun
Their departure will leave many Christian congregations in a lurch. Joel Mathis, theweek, 25 Sep. 2024 The process took a sudden lurch forward once the show found public and private sector backers. Patrick Frater, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lurch 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lurch.' 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

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

Dictionary Entries Near lurch

Cite this Entry

“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lurch. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

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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