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swerve

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of swerve

1 to depart abruptly from a straight line or course
  • The car swerved sharply to avoid the squirrel in the road.
Synonyms of swerve

break, cut, sheer, veer, yaw, zag, zig
Words Related to swerve

skew, slew (also slue)

arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, hook, round, sweep, wheel

about-face, pivot

circle, coil, curl, loop, spiral

turn, twist, wind

weave, zigzag

deviate, stray, wander, waver
Antonyms of swerve

straighten
2 to turn away from a straight line or course
  • The bike path gently swerves to the right.
Synonyms of swerve

arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, fall off, hook, round, sweep, trend, wheel
Words Related to swerve

circle, coil, curlicue, curl, loop, spiral

turn, twist, wind

deviate, veer
Antonyms of swerve

straighten
3 to cause to turn away from a straight line
  • A dog dashed out in front of me and made me swerve my bike almost into the path of an oncoming car.
Synonyms of swerve

arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, hook
Words Related to swerve

arc, round

incurvate, incurve, inflect, reflect

deflect, divert

entwine, kink, swirl, turn, twine, twist, veer, warp

coil, curl, enroll (also enrol), loop, spiral

dent, dimple

meander, wave, weave, wind

decline, incline, slope
Antonyms of swerve

straighten, unbend, uncurl
4 to change one's course or direction
  • The hurricane had been following the coastline before it swerved and headed out to sea.
Synonyms of swerve

detour, deviate, diverge, sheer, swing, turn, turn off, veer, wheel
Words Related to swerve

tack, zigzag

double (back), turn back

Synonym Discussion of swerve

swerve, veer, deviate, depart, digress, diverge 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
veer implies a major change in direction.
    • at that point the path veers to the right
deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.
    • never deviated from her daily routine
depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.
    • occasionally departs from his own guidelines
digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.
    • a professor prone to digress
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

Learn More about swerve

  1. See words that rhyme with swerve Dictionary: Definition of swerve Spanish Central: Translation of swerve Nglish: Translation of swerve for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of swerve for Arabic speakers

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