Synonyms of lurch

lurch 1 of 2

verb

ˈlərch 

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

• sway
• shake
• rock
• halt
• roll
• toss
• jerk
• wobble
• careen
• vibrate
• tumble
• falter
• stumble
• stagger
• vacillate
• pitch
• totter
• jolt
• waddle
• waver
• flounder
• blunder
• seesaw
• hobble
• toddle
• weave
• reel
• hitch
• oscillate
• buck
• undulate
• dodder
• wag
• teeter
• waggle

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

• stagger
• shuffle
• stumble
• weave
• totter
• stomp
• roll
• waddle
• careen
• sway
• reel
• rock
• teeter
• dodder
• wobble
• waver
• shamble
• lump
• blunder
• flounder
• clump
• barge
• seesaw
• clomp
• scuffle
• stamp
• tramp
• pound
• swag
• galumph
• scuff
• lumber
• tromp

lurch

2 of 2

noun

as in washout

Related Words

• washout
• collapse
• upset
• fiasco
• setback
• debacle
• flop
• whitewash
• failure
• fizzle
• whipping
• defeat
• overthrow
• shutout
• trimming
• licking
• beating
• rout
• nonsuccess
• drubbing
• plastering
• loss
• lump
• trouncing
• shellacking

Dissimilar Words

• victory
• success
• triumph
• win
• sweep
• achievement
• accomplishment
• runaway
• landslide
• blowout
• romp
• cakewalk
• walkover
• walkaway

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of lurch

Verb

Still, there is no working around the fact that a manual transmission is a pain in traffic – with the endless clutching and shifting and lurching forward in first gear. — Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 14 Sep. 2026

With a cigarette dangling from her lips, ashes and curse words ever ready to fall, Angela lurches around the house critical of everything and everyone. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026

Noun

Yurich traces Eddie’s spiraling loss of control and his lurch into self-harm with raw feeling, and both writer and director take risks with a final act that can be interpreted as a victory but never glosses over the tremendous physical and emotional cost. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026

The beat, provided by live drums, lurches and lumbers, following the knotty runs of notes instead of setting up a pulse. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 9 Apr. 2026