swerve

1
2
as in to curve
to turn away from a straight line or course the bike path gently swerves to the right

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in to deviate
to change one's course or direction the hurricane had been following the coastline before it swerved and headed inland

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb swerve contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of swerve are depart, deviate, digress, diverge, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

Where would depart be a reasonable alternative to swerve?

While in some cases nearly identical to swerve, depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

When might deviate be a better fit than swerve?

Although the words deviate and swerve have much in common, deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

When could digress be used to replace swerve?

The words digress and swerve can be used in similar contexts, but digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

How are the words diverge and depart related as synonyms of swerve?

Diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

When would veer be a good substitute for swerve?

In some situations, the words veer and swerve are roughly equivalent. However, veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

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 swerve The confab did not swerve the big issues, illustrated by a session dubbed ‘Stories For Tomorrow’ on how Israeli and Palestinian writers can collaborate. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025 Simoncic was one of two officers deploying tire-deflating devices in the 7200 block of State Avenue when Mitchell swerved, intentionally striking Simoncic, police Chief Karl Oakman previously told reporters. Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025 As this was happening, cars swerved by, trying not to hit them. Laura Kwerel, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025 When the officers attempted to pull over the BMW, the car sped off and made other unsafe driving maneuvers such as swerving around other cars and running a stop sign. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerve
Verb
  • If a rocky Dart debut sends hordes of Giants fans scrambling for higher emotional ground, NBC could veer back into 2012 Ryder Cup territory.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Springsteen’s next record, The River, veered toward connection.
    Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The difference in the zero-point energy of space between those two locations tells us, as first derived in Hawking’s 1974 paper, that radiation will be emitted from the region around the black hole, where space is curved the most strongly.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The angles of the rooms are all curved, and there’s a circular quality to the sets that gives the impression that nothing leads anywhere.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Managing up doesn't mean sucking up, heeding your boss' every whim, keeping any disagreement to yourself, or bending over backwards to make leaders happy.
    Stav Ziv, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The history-bending gladiator drama will drop individual new episodes on Fridays via the network’s app and linear channel.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Design With Flexibility In Mind Users don’t always behave as expected, often deviating from the ideal path designers envision.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Even in states whose policy deviates from the CDC, each pharmacy can set its own boundaries on who can be vaccinated, and individual pharmacists may fear liability for vaccinating pregnant customers, Groves said.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Since it’s widely recognized that this area of the plane doesn’t often get much love from cleaners, this genius tech organizer is the best alternative, hooking onto your tray table and providing pockets for your tablet, phone, headphones, and more.
    Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025
  • They can be hooked to various vehicles and rapidly ingest even the largest piles of leaves.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Today, school districts can purchase attack drones, white boards that turn into bunkers, and bullet-proof glass film, among a coterie of other high-tech products.
    Tonya Simpson, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
  • At the other extreme, Zankov turned argyle into a mix of color and geometry that reads maximalism at its best.
    Minty Mellon, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Keep your shoulders relaxed and engage your core to avoid arching your back.
    Dana Santas, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Dirty kicks are essentially high-arching knuckleballs that can land in the middle of the field and take an unpredictable bounce or fly at an angle, depending on how the kicker makes contact.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The officer swung his undercover truck around, radioing his team to converge on a man who was depositing a $50 bill into the machine.
    Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement Before the King can swing his blade, Ji-yeon gets in his way.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerve. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

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