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
Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025
When Herod enters, the music lurches between saccharine waltz episodes and spasms of Expressionistic anarchy—a fracturing of the lingua franca.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2025
Like Germany after the defeat of Hitler, Argentina lurched back and forth between judging its past crimes and trying to move beyond them.
—Julia M. Klein, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Verb
In November, the university announced its lab school would no longer feature Montessori programming, leaving Hyland's family and more than 100 other students in a lurch.
—Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025
When Herod enters, the music lurches between saccharine waltz episodes and spasms of Expressionistic anarchy—a fracturing of the lingua franca.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Noun
But that’s not enough opposition to stop CPS from lurching substantially further toward insolvency if Harden and interim school Superintendent Macquline King choose that route.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2025
Like Germany after the defeat of Hitler, Argentina lurched back and forth between judging its past crimes and trying to move beyond them.
—Julia M. Klein, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
Verb
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Business executives, at least some, are less swayed by the hype and more level-headed about the costs and benefits of using AI.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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In the clip, the TLC stars swayed side to side with their arms around Bowling’s neck as his hands rested on their waist.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Cnet raises something else: in previous years, Apple has staggered the release dates of its products, even though the unveiling has happened on the same day.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
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However, there are several small kitchen appliances that use a lot of power and their use should be staggered whenever possible.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Compared to the haze of Lollapalooza Day 1, the washout redux of NASCAR weekend and the action-alert heat that’s suffocated the city since June, Saturday afternoon in Grant Park was Chicago finally showing its best.—
Lily Carey,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Aug. 2025
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This year could be a washout for the stock market due to lofty tariffs, but 2026 could mark a return to new highs, according to the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Han shook off criticisms of the small ring by also noting that both Belly and Jeremiah are college students on a budget.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Rinse the greens in the empty side of the sink, then put the greens in the colander, rinse again, shake off, and rinse again.—
Amy Brightfield,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This may become more urgent if important European manufacturers look to be in danger of collapse at the expense of Chinese success.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Rose Byrne stars as Linda, a therapist who is grappling with her daughter’s mysterious illness that prevents her from eating normally while her husband is out of town on business and their apartment teeters on the edge of literal collapse.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Dolphins’ opening offensive series concluded with Wilson getting rocked on a third-down pass as center Daniel Brunskill failed to pick up a blitzer up the middle.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Aug. 2025
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Mariah Carey rocks a chic black leather jacket and sunglasses while out and about in London on Aug. 15.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This is the combustible force fueling upsets of establishment leaders on both sides of the aisle.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
8 Aug. 2025
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Other big upsets included 12-seed Man on the Moo (Darkness) over 5-seed Symphony (Big Ash), a former bracket-winning brewery, and 11-seed Girl Next Door (Wooden Cask) over 6-seed Little Kings.—
Rasputin Todd,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Noun
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The right-wing conspiracy theorist was aghast at Trump’s decision to try to pin blame for the Epstein fiasco on Democrats.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
19 July 2025
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This fiasco competes with the high-speed rail project for the best way to waste taxpayer dollars.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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