IN THE LURCH Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

in the lurch

adjective

Definition of in the lurch

as in susceptible

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Recent Examples of in the lurch Newsom and other opponents, like the California Teachers Association, said the measure is shortsighted and left public schools, childcare providers and others in the lurch by focusing almost solely on healthcare. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026 That avoids leaving team members in the lurch while the person is out, Ackerman said. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 8 June 2026 Rather than leave existing clients in the lurch, Lee allowed IDW to essentially inherit those accounts, allowing the fledgling business to become profitable within its first year of operation. — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026 The chaos left students across the county — many of whom were in the midst of finals — in the lurch, wondering if their assignments could be turned in or would be postponed. — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026 And Lake Station Community Schools Superintendent Tom Cripliver said the School Board is looking for alternatives so families aren’t left in the lurch when the new school year begins. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026 Just as Musk left Oracle in the lurch, a LinkedIn message from OpenAI infrastructure chief Peter Hoeschele arrived in the inbox of a sales leader at Oracle, Bloomberg reported. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 29 Apr. 2026 When pressed about the path forward with TSA agents and other workers left in the lurch, Murphy said Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, are the ones who have rejected their proposals to provide immediate funding for the Transportation Security Administration. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026 Scant negotiations progress Last week, Congress failed to advance a DHS funding bill for the fifth time, leaving TSA, FEMA and other agencies in the lurch. — Luke Garrett, NPR, 22 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for in the lurch

Adjective

Each saw human nature as susceptible to corruption by base impulses and self-interest.

— Donovan Fifield, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
FODMAPs get fermented by colonic bacteria, producing gas and causing bloating and other gastrointestinal symptoms in susceptible individuals.

— Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 15 July 2026

Definition of susceptible

Adjective

When giant hailstones start falling, or howling winter winds threaten to tear solar panels from the roof, the unprotected modules can do nothing but take the beating.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
After 27 years of diplomacy, a doughnut hole of unprotected land along the Blue Ridge Parkway has finally been acquired by the Blue Ridge Conservancy in North Carolina.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026

Definition of unprotected

Adjective

Unlike wealthy nations with the reserves and infrastructure to buffer the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, import-dependent economies are more vulnerable to immediate, cascading supply chain shocks.

— Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
Adopted by the Atlanta City Council this spring, the initiative offers a framework to hold the city accountable for protecting workers’ rights and address the needs of vulnerable populations, among other goals, during World Cup games.

— DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of vulnerable

Adjective

While he’s been fighting in Troy, his palace has been overrun by men who want to marry his faithful wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), and murder his helpless son, Telemachus (Tom Holland).

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
The grandfather is seen running around a few trees, but the bison soon catches up and tosses the helpless visitor eight feet in the air.

— Suzanne Yeo, ABC News, 13 July 2026

Definition of helpless

Adjective

Back then, America feared an armada of Soviet bombers laden with A-bombs barreling over the horizon, dodging our few anti-aircraft batteries, and dropping their deadly payloads on undefended American cities.

— Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
The lack of range of Coastal Command aircraft left an undefended area known as the Mid-Atlantic Gap, rendering merchant shipping and their escorts without air cover and vulnerable to attack.

— Mark Wood, TheWeek, 7 Jan. 2026

Definition of undefended

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in the know

in the lurch

in the nude

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“In the lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/in%20the%20lurch. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of in the lurch

adjective

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