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 His best friend was a passenger and died after the car Hank was driving swerved off the road. Brent Lang, Variety, 25 Aug. 2025 Yet whereas Taxi Driver ends in a sequence of redemptive carnage, First Reformed swerves in its last moments into a scene so ostentatiously at odds with everything coming before that accepting it at face value would seem to mean denying the film up to that point had anything serious to say. Roy Scranton august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025 The truck, a gray Chevrolet Silverado, drove off the right shoulder of Cortez Street, hit a guardrail, swerved back across Cortez Street and drove off the left shoulder into the patio area of Ugly Dog Sports Cafe, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 17 Aug. 2025 Fabian Cruz Licona was arrested on May 26 by California Highway Patrol officers who observed him swerving in and out of his lane, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. Bay City News Service, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerve
Verb
  • Their attempts at political discourse often veered toward the group speaking in vague, naïve universalisms.
    Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Prosecutors allege that the driver of the car, Dennis Edward Mitchell III, 31, intentionally veered toward Simoncic and have charged him with capital murder along with other charges.
    Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Along the Corniche—a sweeping waterfront promenade curving around the bay—traditional dhows drift past a shimmering skyline of minarets and sculptural skyscrapers.
    Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Here, miles away from the nearest public road, a small canyon carves into curving limestone.
    Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Each was tested by pulling, bending, or snapping it to measure strength.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The sides and top of the car were damaged, and the car appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Uncut Gems star's ensemble deviates from his signature style, which typically includes oversize T-shirts, hoodies and shorts, as well as stylish sneakers.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The manager did not believe a lineup that had slugged the most home runs in the National League needed to deviate from its identity to finally produce runs with a modicum of consistency.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • When Ryan Lee first played mahjong two years ago, he got hooked.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • But when the direction doesn’t hook us in enough, these ideas tend to go down like a lukewarm latte in a film that could have really used more heat.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Their next goal is to turn the system into a practical tool for early fire detection.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
  • While wildfire season in Arizona used to arrive in spring and reliably end by the monsoon, fire seasons have turned into fire years as the blazes become more erratic and frequent.
    John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • While keeping your lower back pressed into the chair, arch your upper back over the top of the chair.
    Jenny McCoy, Outside, 31 Aug. 2025
  • In photos of the pair smooching at midnight, fans quickly recognized the iconic architecture, namely the gold, arching ceilings.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • For a locker room that’s been through a lot because the front office swung and missed on the worst quarterback trade in NFL history.
    Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Busta also received an assist from Papoose and Joyner Lucas, all of them sharing lyrical wordplay and seamless tradeoffs as Busta swung between his trademark dichotomy of rapping to gruff bellowing.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerve. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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