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
The old guard of the Democratic Party suffered another body blow when three socialist congressional candidates in New York with anti-Israel platforms swept to victory, lurching the party even further to the left.
—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2026
When Colombia heads to the polls June 21, the region will be watching to see if the nation joins the right-wing surge across Latin America, with Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica lurching to the political right over the past year.
—
Manuel Rueda,
Christian Science Monitor,
20 June 2026
As is Takal, clearly having fun with the film’s queasy, lurching atmospherics, abetted by the sparse, shivery, atonal chimes of Jonathan Goldsmith’s score, and the floating, disembodied feel of Robert Leitzell’s camerawork.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 June 2026
These are some of the heaviest grooves that Seefeel have created in ages, channeling lurching currents through intricate chains of dub delay.
—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Another neighbor recalled an elevator lurching between floors.
—
Elle McLogan,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile the Caliente Range — those mountains just to the west — are lurching the opposite way.
—
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Still, morale is much worse compared with December 2024, before DOGE took aim at the health agency's budgets and staffing, and before rounds of lurching job cuts and reinstatements left thousands of CDC workers in limbo or severed from their careers.
—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2026
When Colombia heads to the polls June 21, the region will be watching to see if the nation joins the right-wing surge across Latin America, with Chile, Honduras, and Costa Rica lurching to the political right over the past year.
—
Manuel Rueda,
Christian Science Monitor,
20 June 2026
As is Takal, clearly having fun with the film’s queasy, lurching atmospherics, abetted by the sparse, shivery, atonal chimes of Jonathan Goldsmith’s score, and the floating, disembodied feel of Robert Leitzell’s camerawork.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 June 2026
These are some of the heaviest grooves that Seefeel have created in ages, channeling lurching currents through intricate chains of dub delay.
—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Another neighbor recalled an elevator lurching between floors.
—
Elle McLogan,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile the Caliente Range — those mountains just to the west — are lurching the opposite way.
—
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Still, morale is much worse compared with December 2024, before DOGE took aim at the health agency's budgets and staffing, and before rounds of lurching job cuts and reinstatements left thousands of CDC workers in limbo or severed from their careers.
—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurching
Verb
-
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China’s Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
-
Lewis set a Guinness World Record for slackline surfing, swaying his feet side to side in a rocking motion that mimics surfing, while keeping his balance above China's Diaoshuilou waterfall in 2011.
Verb
-
The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads.
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The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hand and small heads.
Verb
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Meanwhile, Clark looked flashy rocking her brand-new signature Nike kicks, dropping 26 points and seven assists.
-
Society has brainwashed us for decades into bottling our emotions, saying less, not rocking the boat, and just carrying so much on our shoulders.
Verb
-
In an era of digital overwhelm and social isolation, gathering around a table, shuffling tiles and building order out of chaos together feels like exactly what people are reaching for right now.
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The model of shuffling that the new result depends on, like Bayer and Diaconis’ before it, still assumes that the cards riffle down one by one, rather than in clumps.
Verb
-
With a quick and creative offensive attack producing goals in front of stadium-shaking home crowds, the Americans have already won their group and booked their place in the knockout round.
-
In a major rupture, strong shaking could cause severe damage near the fault and in areas built on soft or water-saturated soils, which can amplify shaking.
Verb
-
The footage appears to show the SUV weaving through traffic at high speed.
-
Between hauling bags up subway stairs, weaving through Penn Station, and occasionally sprinting to the correct track, comfortable footwear is non-negotiable.
Cite this Entry
“Lurching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurching. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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