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
Alison Herman, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Still, morale is much worse compared with December 2024, before DOGE took aim at the health agency's budgets and staffing, and before rounds of lurching job cuts and reinstatements left thousands of CDC workers in limbo or severed from their careers.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Verb
Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
Still, morale is much worse compared with December 2024, before DOGE took aim at the health agency's budgets and staffing, and before rounds of lurching job cuts and reinstatements left thousands of CDC workers in limbo or severed from their careers.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
Newsom, who has appeared on Real Time, could benefit from a lurch toward the middle, Maher told The California Post.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
The hope is that the institutional reforms started by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus deliver the necessary checks and balances to avert another lurch toward despotism.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
Verb
-
Biff shouts at him at the show’s excruciating climax) sways between light and dark, between the road and the deadly shoulder, advancing through his last hours on earth as if through the stations of the cross.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
There were bird feeders hanging from the trees, fountains for the pollinators, and wind chimes swaying to and fro from the back porch.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the Transit officers descended down to the 4/5/6 platform, one of Griffin’s victims came staggering up the stairs, seeking medial attention, Tisch said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
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The Heat continued to stagger the minutes of its top two scorers, as Herro again started and Norman Powell again played off the bench.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The rain will not be a washout, but rather a series of brief showers continuing through the morning hours.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
After 48 years of unsuccessful politicking, one might be tempted to call the idea of indexing capital gains a certified washout.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The starts were violent, ground-shaking and painfully loud.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
People may want to shake off the branches of trees within reach.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Three Ironworkers Local 401 members died in the collapse.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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In September, federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology said in a statement the partial collapse of the previous tower likely began from the pool deck, which started collapsing before the rest of the building.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The blistering journey was followed by a splash landing in the ocean where the crew rocked on the water awaiting extraction before being transported to a boat, then a helicopter, and finally the recovery ship.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
But things changed in early 2024, when Fidesz was rocked by scandal.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Second and third, barring upsets, are San Antonio and Oklahoma City.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
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While college baseball observers look at the wins as upsets, eighth-year coach Jonathan Hernandez would prefer his players not.—
Eric Olson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the aftermath of the Google fiasco, Cukor turns to Palantir (in addition to Microsoft and Amazon) to make Maven a reality.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
After years of navigating scenarios in which a Black lead was unfairly demonized, the channel now needs to take the reins of a fiasco in which a Black woman is, indisputably, the victim.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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