1
as in swaying
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 staggering
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 lurching
Back then, Newcastle’s thin squad staggered between results, lurching from challenging the best sides in the league to befuddling losses to inferior squads.
—
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
The result, nearly eight months into his second term, is an economy that appears to be lurching into a new era of state control.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
The result, nearly eight months into his second term, is an economy that appears to be lurching into a new era of state control.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurching
Verb
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And some people kept watching and swaying and moving.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
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Some people kept watching and swaying and moving.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Cheng likes to build muni bond ladders, which means staggering the maturity dates of multiple bonds.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
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To get through the season and the playoffs, staggering the minutes of Green and Horford is logical, even with Quintin Post picking up some center minutes.—
Jannelle Moore,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Figure skaters rocking the rink this year will include Olympians Jeremy Abbott, Nathan Chen, Keegan Messing, Mariah Bell, Polina Edmunds and Sinead Kerr Marshall with partner John Kerr, alongside viral sensation Elladj Baldé and Maxim Naumov.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
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Here’s what to know about the scandal rocking Shein.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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So, if the Phillies were to target Bichette, there would be some sort of shuffling in the infield.—
Patrick McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
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In 2022, Kelsey pleaded guilty to illegally shuffling money from his state Senate campaign account to his federal congressional campaign account.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Just two weeks ago, Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi was shaking hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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As the title suggests, this sprawling tale centers on Raja, a man in his sixties who lives with his mother in Beirut, a city shaking with political and ecological turmoil.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The debate over lasting solutions reveals the complexity of how criminal organizations have grown so powerful, weaving themselves into nearly every layer of Brazilian society over time.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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What results is a familiar historical drama, weaving together many various characters in the buildup to the climactic courtroom showdown.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Boston Herald,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurching. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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