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
Shortly after administering Narcan to a DUI suspect experiencing a possible overdose, CHP Officer Miguel Cano started to feel unwell, swerved his patrol car into a tree and was killed.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The Panthers forward, 28, dedicated his gold medal to Gaudreau, a Columbus Blue Jackets and fellow national team player, who died cycling in August 2024 when a drunk driver allegedly swerved and slammed into his bicycle.
—Chris Kudialis, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Moments later, a tractor trailer whose 52-year-old driver had swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle slammed into the passenger side of the Astimbay’s Camry.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
But Land swerved hard to the right.
—James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
The car that Negron was driving swerved to the right and hit the back of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then spun across the center lane and slammed into a Ford F-150 in the right lane, Trooper Ilias Bistolas reported.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2026
The ball dipped and swerved, beating the despairing dive of goalkeeper David Raya before flying in off the post.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Ellis said the department's preliminary investigation indicates that a man traveling eastbound on Lower River Road swerved to get out of the way of a vehicle attempting to pull out of a nearby driveway, striking another car head-on.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Duprey swerved and slid under a vehicle.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The Panthers forward, 28, dedicated his gold medal to Gaudreau, a Columbus Blue Jackets and fellow national team player, who died cycling in August 2024 when a drunk driver allegedly swerved and slammed into his bicycle.
—Chris Kudialis, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2026
Moments later, a tractor trailer whose 52-year-old driver had swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle slammed into the passenger side of the Astimbay’s Camry.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
But Land swerved hard to the right.
—James Duesterberg, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
The car that Negron was driving swerved to the right and hit the back of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then spun across the center lane and slammed into a Ford F-150 in the right lane, Trooper Ilias Bistolas reported.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2026
The ball dipped and swerved, beating the despairing dive of goalkeeper David Raya before flying in off the post.
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Ellis said the department's preliminary investigation indicates that a man traveling eastbound on Lower River Road swerved to get out of the way of a vehicle attempting to pull out of a nearby driveway, striking another car head-on.
—Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Duprey swerved and slid under a vehicle.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
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One veered off the road, hitting them both Four people, including the two drivers, were taken to the hospital, where Smith, 49, and Arlia, 45, later died of their injuries.—
Jamie Landers,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Dickinson was known to share strong opinions that veered negative and even mean-spirited on the judging panel.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The two swivel chairs have curved backs that gently rock back and forth, along with plush seat and back cushions.—
Melanie Fincher,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Feb. 2026
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Instead of allover stripes, expect to see razor-thin metallic stripes (like the barcode nail trend coming out of South Korea), curved bands that arc diagonally across a sheer base, or contrasting matte and gloss stripes layered in the same shade for a barely-there effect.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Back on the highway, the rearview mirror showed the clouds had lifted, the waters were still, and a rainbow had arched across the sky.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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Engage your core so that your back is flat (not arched or rounded).—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Scott Frost hasn’t deviated from the plan Gus Malzahn employed toward the end of his tenure in Orlando.—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Last month’s Salesman release deviated from the historic pair’s colorblocking ever so slightly with the midsole making greater use of red, but no such deviation is see on the sole of Awake’s (speckling excluded).—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tobacco parallels The Los Angeles trial centers on allegations made by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, and her mother that four social media giants intentionally designed addictive platforms that hooked her as a child and led to mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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As if attempting to display all this tumult on the slopes, the forty-one-year-old skier Lindsey Vonn crashed violently after her pole hooked a gate during the women’s downhill race.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Eventually, though, the pendulum swung the other way, as the chunky, shell-toed shoe fell out of fashion, making way for the the return of the streamlined Samba.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2026
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Cue bedlam as the momentum swung decisively Wrexham’s way in a title race that had seen both teams already reach 100 points.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Based on the 1992 campy classic movie starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Isabella Rossellini, the stage musical bowed on Broadway in 2024.—
Rod Stafford Hagwood,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
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The photograph through the cross panes of Patrick’s window showed an unnamed doctor—Hughes—in scrubs and a white mask, head bowed, looking down at what was the baby’s incubator, though all that was visible on the cover was a fuzzy black smear in the lower-right corner.—
Steven Levingston,
Vanity Fair,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For Black artists — particularly the two Black actors standing on a global stage — hearing it in that setting, and then watching it be broadcast into homes, turned into a meme and shared on social media, carries a weight that does not disappear simply because the source lacked intent.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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Appearing Sunday on Fox News, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent turned a debate over tariff revenue into yet another admonishment, only this time, the target of his ire had recently turned out championing the role of tariffs in improving the country’s fiscal outlook.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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