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
Relevance
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
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 lurched
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
So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.
—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Meanwhile, federal policy has lurched in opposite directions.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
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
So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.
—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Meanwhile, federal policy has lurched in opposite directions.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurched
Verb
-
The court said jurors received instructions from the trial judge that could have improperly swayed them toward convicting him.
-
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
-
To ensure Miami 305 can still meet the league's minimum roster requirements, the suspensions will be staggered.
-
In exchange for taking these steps, Iran would receive financial relief staggered over time and sequenced to correspond with compliance.
Verb
-
Emir Caner led the small Baptist college for 17 years until he was removed last year as a former student and staff member’s story of abuse rocked its campus in the Georgia foothills.
-
In a scandal that rocked the business, Davis was fired from Columbia in May 1973, accused of defrauding the company of $94,000 in expense-account violations, including paying for his son Fred’s bar mitzvah and a renovation of his apartment.
Verb
-
The quake, which struck during morning rush hour, also mildly shook Tokyo.
-
One witness said they were forced to evacuate as the earthquake shook buildings, while another reported that cracks formed on the side of their building, according to the outlet.
Verb
-
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.
-
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.
Cite this Entry
“Lurched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurched. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
