1
as in swayed
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 staggered
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lurched
Initial data indicates both of these earthquakes were strike-slip, Magnani said, meaning one plate lurched past the other along the boundary.
—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
25 June 2026
Rodney McDonald, who was traveling with his wife and two sons, told ABC News the ordeal began when the aircraft unexpectedly lurched.
—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
24 June 2026
Latin America has lurched rightward in recent elections, as governments scramble to curtail violence stemming from record cocaine production.
—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
21 June 2026
As the carriage lurched forward, the teen’s mother fell from the vehicle, prompting Romanch Mahajan to jump out in an effort to help her, The Times reported.
—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
As the opening ceremony began with a flurry of speeches, the bus carrying Team Zambia lurched to a stop by the side of the road in southern Zimbabwe, 200 miles away.
—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
In a December 2024 crash, a bus lurched onto a sidewalk outside Curley K-8 School in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.
—
Willoughby Mariano,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
By 2024 that gap reached 27 points – not because working-class voters lurched toward anti-government extremism, but because mainstream Democrats became dramatically more trusting of government as an instrument of social change.
—
Nicholas Jacobs,
The Conversation,
2 June 2026
As Aden Kassaye and her mother got out to inspect the damage, Beas Solorio reportedly lurched the BMW forward, making contact with Ayalew’s torso, prompting Ayalew to slam her hands on the BMW’s hood to brace herself and yell at the driver.
—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
25 June 2026
Rodney McDonald, who was traveling with his wife and two sons, told ABC News the ordeal began when the aircraft unexpectedly lurched.
—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
24 June 2026
Latin America has lurched rightward in recent elections, as governments scramble to curtail violence stemming from record cocaine production.
—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
21 June 2026
As the carriage lurched forward, the teen’s mother fell from the vehicle, prompting Romanch Mahajan to jump out in an effort to help her, The Times reported.
—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
As the opening ceremony began with a flurry of speeches, the bus carrying Team Zambia lurched to a stop by the side of the road in southern Zimbabwe, 200 miles away.
—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
In a December 2024 crash, a bus lurched onto a sidewalk outside Curley K-8 School in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.
—
Willoughby Mariano,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
By 2024 that gap reached 27 points – not because working-class voters lurched toward anti-government extremism, but because mainstream Democrats became dramatically more trusting of government as an instrument of social change.
—
Nicholas Jacobs,
The Conversation,
2 June 2026
As Aden Kassaye and her mother got out to inspect the damage, Beas Solorio reportedly lurched the BMW forward, making contact with Ayalew’s torso, prompting Ayalew to slam her hands on the BMW’s hood to brace herself and yell at the driver.
—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurched
Verb
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The court said jurors received instructions from the trial judge that could have improperly swayed them toward convicting him.
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Some gold ETFs directly invest in bullion kept in vaults, while others invest in shares of mining companies that tend to follow the price of gold while also being swayed by the companies' management decisions, efficiency and financials.
Verb
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Implementation of the program will be staggered, starting in elementary schools in 2030, for Texas’ more than 5 million students – about 10% of the national total.
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Since the notices will be staggered, however, some borrowers may have more time.
Verb
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The strike rocked the Ecuadorians, whose stingy defense had been their hallmark throughout qualifying for this World Cup, and La Tri gathered together for a pep talk as Azteca boomed around them.
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This piece can be read in the context of an event that rocked Koreans, and the world, in 2016.
Verb
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Thousands of fans in Mexico lost their minds and shook the earth.
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Multiple explosions shook central Kyiv and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations.
Verb
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Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.
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Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.
Cite this Entry
“Lurched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurched. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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