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 two sides have been lurching toward this end for a while now.
—
Josh Kendall, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Brant, who was elected in a special election in August, inherited an office already in disarray, in a county that has spent the past year lurching from one government crisis to the next.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 19 Feb. 2026
Hence the lurching shift in financing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Sure enough, a big rock upended from beneath my toe and sent me lurching headlong to the water.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 13 Jan. 2026
The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.
—Nik Popli, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
The old theater, which opened in 1925, seemed to be lurching toward its grave.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Nov. 2025
Josh Kendall, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Brant, who was elected in a special election in August, inherited an office already in disarray, in a county that has spent the past year lurching from one government crisis to the next.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 19 Feb. 2026
Hence the lurching shift in financing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2026
Sure enough, a big rock upended from beneath my toe and sent me lurching headlong to the water.
—Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 15 Feb. 2026
Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 13 Jan. 2026
The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.
—Nik Popli, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
The old theater, which opened in 1925, seemed to be lurching toward its grave.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurching
Verb
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Deputies said Thorpe had bloodshot eyes, was swaying and unsteady, and had a fruity odor on her breath, according to the report.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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From hiking and biking to navigating swaying cruise ships and 500-acre theme parks, shoppers have put these comfy, supportive sandals to the test.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Add additional rows of blocks, staggering them over the previous layer and using construction adhesive between rows.—
Daniel Modlin,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Dash camera video posted by the Huber Heights Police Department on its Facebook page shows the worker rolling the bin toward a garbage truck, lifting the lid and quickly staggering back before pointing toward the container as officers pull up.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Graham kept the pops of color going in another snap, rocking a pink denim romper with oversize tortoiseshell shades.—
Staff Author,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The earlier‑referenced Quest returns from its world cruise in July for Northern Europe and Canada/New England sailings — still rocking that new bow-to-stern makeover.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Green Bay Packers are doing some shuffling at cornerback by adding Benjamin St-Juste while informing Nate Hobbs of a plan to release him a year after signing him to the $48 million, four-year contract, according to two people with knowledge of the decisions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
One of the early schools to change leagues in the NCAA's conference shuffling era, Boston College left the Big East for the ACC in 2005 but has struggled to find success in its revenue sports.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Weak to light shaking has been detected and people reported feeling the tremor in several cities, including Geyserville, Kelseyville and Cloverdale according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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But Bergeron was there every time his team needed a big stop, leaving the Vikings (15-7-2) shaking their heads many times.—
Matt Roy,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The story, at a distance, features the utmost potential for emotional intensity, but the closer the filmmakers get to weaving an overarching tapestry, the more the individual stories run together in terms of tone and spirit.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
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The jazz polymath wrote, played, produced, and mixed everything on his new solo album, weaving overlapping loops and knotty counterpoints into a dynamic suite of interconnected pieces.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lurching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurching. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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