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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lurch
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Sure enough, a big rock upended from beneath my toe and sent me lurching headlong to the water.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Charlie Campbell, Time, 28 Jan. 2026
And yet, two-thirds into the song’s six-minute lurch, a beaming synth line appears like a biblical burst of light, a plea for sanctuary from perpetual chaos.
—Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Verb
Hence the lurching shift in financing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Sure enough, a big rock upended from beneath my toe and sent me lurching headlong to the water.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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
And yet, two-thirds into the song’s six-minute lurch, a beaming synth line appears like a biblical burst of light, a plea for sanctuary from perpetual chaos.
—Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
Verb
-
There’s no room to be swayed by any external influences or impressions.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Unlock The Mystery Surrounding A Lone Mailbox Sticking out like a sore thumb along gently swaying sea oats and majestic sand dunes, the Wrightsville Beach Mailbox is a legendary character in this part of North Carolina.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Heat continues to stagger the minutes of its two top scoring guards.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The result is a heavy blow to Starmer, whose leadership has staggered through a series of crises and suffered a near-death experience earlier this month.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There are low chances for rain from Wednesday into the weekend but no day looks like a complete washout.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
This comes amid a debate on the right over what themes to stress to avoid a GOP washout in November.—
The Wall Street Journal,
Twin Cities,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And every summer Wenger seemed to shake his head and buy more young creative types instead.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Morgan's abduction and killing shook Bowling Green, but in some ways, brought it closer together.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At the congress, Kim derided liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's calls for engagement as a deception, accusing successive governments in Seoul of seeking Pyongyang's collapse.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The blockade has led to an acute oil shortage in the country that was already facing economic collapse amid an energy crisis that was already plunging the country into daily prolonged blackouts.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As blasts and gunfire rocked Kabul on Sunday, analysts said there is still room for escalation and no clear off-ramp.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Irina Shayk rocked a bombshell look, donning a black strapless, form-fitting gown featuring a plunging sweetheart neckline and a thigh-high slit and a train.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pine Ridge, seeded seventh in the eight-team region, has pulled off four straight rankings upsets.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
-
McKinney Boyd makes history Boyd, which went 10-6 in District 6-6A, arguably had the upset of the first round — and made history while doing so.—
Myah Taylor,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The saga of this pipeline project, which was known as the Trans Mountain Expansion, or TMX, is now familiar to most Canadians as a fiasco of epic proportions.—
Robert Moor,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Soccer fiasco To say the City Section soccer playoffs were a mess would be an understatement.—
Eric Sondheimer
Columnist
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
