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
as in washout
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lurch
Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
When that executive director stumbled, the union was left in a lurch.
—George Atallah, Sportico.com, 31 July 2025
George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
France lurched into a political crisis after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou gambled on a confidence vote, with little hope of any quick solution to fix its ailing public finances, whether a new government or a snap parliamentary election comes next.
—Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Verb
In July, the federal program was abruptly cut under President Donald Trump’s sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act, leaving thousands across Illinois in the lurch.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
When that executive director stumbled, the union was left in a lurch.
—George Atallah, Sportico.com, 31 July 2025
Noun
In just 6 weeks, both long-term rates lurched upwards.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
France lurched into a political crisis after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou gambled on a confidence vote, with little hope of any quick solution to fix its ailing public finances, whether a new government or a snap parliamentary election comes next.
—Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
Verb
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The strength of the relationship between buyer and seller can substantially sway pricing, as can both sides’ awareness of alternative options for the same or similar data.—
Seth Joseph,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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But Garcia's Fireballs GC finished eighth, falling short of the impact needed to sway Donald's decision.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As Devers launched his 30th home run of the season into the right field seats at Coors Field, Colorado starting pitcher Kyle Freeland took exception to the slugger slowly staggering out of the batter's box, watching the flight of the ball.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Terry staggered to the lobby and collapsed, according to court documents.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The agency expects to hire 8,900 new air traffic controllers by 2028, but because of factors like attrition, retirements and program washouts, this will only result in 1,000 more certified controllers, according to FAA documents.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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But any rain that falls will not be a washout or continuous.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On back-to-back pass plays, though, Ward held the ball too long and couldn’t shake the Broncos’ pass rush, resulting in back-to-back sacks that took the Titans outside field goal range.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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After a while, the lady shook her head.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Was the specter of Cracker Barrel’s collapse and bankruptcy a mere fancy?—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, at over 100 kilonewtons of force, the structure groaned under the force before one of the beams finally gave away in an intentional collapse that provided critical data for the study.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Golden State Valkyries player Temi Fagbenle rocks the runway in Seyah, a brand founded by teammate Tiffany Hayes.—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.—
Brady Shanahan,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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With multiple overtime games, upsets and close calls, Week 2 provided a lot of reasons to shake up this week’s edition of The Athletic 136, just not at the top.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Cracker Barrel fiasco is a classic that business schools will study for decades.—
Jess Collen,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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But the oil field fiasco underscores the challenges China faces in achieving its goals.—
Anthony Kuhn,
NPR,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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