1
as in veered
to depart abruptly from a straight line or course
the car swerved sharply to avoid the squirrel in the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in curved
to turn away from a straight line or course
the bike path gently swerves to the right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arched
to cause to turn away from a straight line
a dog dashed out in front of me and made me swerve my bike to one side of the bike path
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deviated
to change one's course or direction
the hurricane had been following the coastline before it swerved and headed inland
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swerved
He was accused of driving recklessly – speeding and passing in a no-passing zone – when the motorist swerved to avoid Lacy and crashed into another vehicle.
—
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Another vehicle then allegedly swerved to avoid the pickup and crossed the center line, crashing head-on with a vehicle containing Herman Hall, 78.
—CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Police said that during the pursuit the suspect tried to run over an officer, ran multiple red lights and swerved into oncoming traffic.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 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
Bates' car swerved off the freeway and came to a rest in a culvert, police said.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
His best friend was a passenger and died after the car Hank was driving swerved off the road.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 25 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
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Another vehicle then allegedly swerved to avoid the pickup and crossed the center line, crashing head-on with a vehicle containing Herman Hall, 78.
—CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Police said that during the pursuit the suspect tried to run over an officer, ran multiple red lights and swerved into oncoming traffic.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 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
Bates' car swerved off the freeway and came to a rest in a culvert, police said.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
His best friend was a passenger and died after the car Hank was driving swerved off the road.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 25 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
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Season 1 of the podcast kicked off with astrophysicist Neil deGrass Tyson, but quickly veered into a much more eclectic lineup.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
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The white Chevrolet Silverado, reported stolen earlier from the Flagstaff Police Department, veered onto a guardrail before flipping multiple times and crashing into a tree.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Featuring an ergonomic, curved back that will keep you comfortable long after dessert has finished, plus a plush foam seat, this set of four keeps things fresh and elegant.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
3 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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These stripes arched across the front half of its body, only to fade into a solid brown coat toward its rear.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Rain drizzled down most of the day Friday and into the early evening, but before sunset, as Kansas City shredder Samantha Fish was unleashing on guitar, the clouds parted to make way for a vibrant, double rainbow that arched over the entire box canyon.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The move comes amid ongoing debate about funding for Ohio's public schools after the statehouse deviated from the bipartisan Fair School Funding Plan made four years prior with the passage of the 2026-27 state budget in June.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Sep. 2025
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During the speech, however, Kemp periodically deviated from building up Astra to hurling insults at several of his competitors in the launch industry.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Tigers won two of three against the Mariners early in the season, then got swept by Seattle at home and were outscored 35-14 during a July series that marked the start of a horrid slide.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Teams have swept the area with thermal cameras to check for any more survivors, to no avail.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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They can be hooked to various vehicles and rapidly ingest even the largest piles of leaves.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
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When the teen drama made its splashy debut on The WB in 1998, viewers were instantly hooked by the emotional storylines and unforgettable cast that carried the series through six seasons.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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Over the last two years, his role and those expectations have swung the other way.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In practice, Musk bowed to authoritarian governments or banned critical journalists when their reporting annoyed him.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Elllington, surprised, half-bowed back.—
Chris Foran,
jsonline.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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