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
Rich kids on scooters swerved aggressively around the gillagers, taunting them.
—
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
After a Tesla in Full Self-Driving mode suddenly swerved off of a busy highway and almost straight into a ditch, the owner of the vehicle praised the driving technology to high heaven for supposedly saving his skin.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
During the pursuit, the vehicle swerved all across four lanes of travel on North Telegraph Road at speeds ranging from 20 mph to 70 mph, the sheriff's office said.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
He was accused of driving recklessly — speeding and passing in a no-passing zone — when a motorist swerved to avoid Lacy and crashed into another vehicle.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
When Eba shuffled back to the left, Giles swerved again.
—Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
The pickup had swerved from the street and hit a first-floor apartment.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Dec. 2025
After the chase started, Martinez swerved to avoid the collision ICE agents wanted, Davis said.
—Julia Coin
november 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Nov. 2025
The Raiders took Set 4, 25-18, thanks to a missile off the hand of Raiders junior middle blocker Leila Colvin swerved through the Storm’s block to send Cretin-Derham Hall through to the Class 3A semifinals.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
After a Tesla in Full Self-Driving mode suddenly swerved off of a busy highway and almost straight into a ditch, the owner of the vehicle praised the driving technology to high heaven for supposedly saving his skin.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
During the pursuit, the vehicle swerved all across four lanes of travel on North Telegraph Road at speeds ranging from 20 mph to 70 mph, the sheriff's office said.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
He was accused of driving recklessly — speeding and passing in a no-passing zone — when a motorist swerved to avoid Lacy and crashed into another vehicle.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
When Eba shuffled back to the left, Giles swerved again.
—Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
The pickup had swerved from the street and hit a first-floor apartment.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Dec. 2025
After the chase started, Martinez swerved to avoid the collision ICE agents wanted, Davis said.
—Julia Coin
november 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Nov. 2025
The Raiders took Set 4, 25-18, thanks to a missile off the hand of Raiders junior middle blocker Leila Colvin swerved through the Storm’s block to send Cretin-Derham Hall through to the Class 3A semifinals.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
-
Authorities said a Tesla veered off Iron Point Road, struck a tree and a parked car, then crashed into the elevated train platform.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
One piece of the ship, one of Challenger’s two strap-on solid rockets, veered to the right and began spiraling through the sky.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hallie Henley Sims inherited her own grandmother’s curved back settee and chose to keep the original orange velvet upholstery intact.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
-
These are different enough from the front legs to stay interesting during the build — dew claws and all — but the light-brown slope curved 3x3 corner round pieces are slightly translucent, so the bright yellow underframe tile shows through the corners.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Long, arched hallways lead to the guest rooms, restaurants, castle-like lounge spaces, and even an ancient cloister from the former monastery.—
Hannah Chubb,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Your chest should be upright and your torso should be slightly forward so that your back is flat and not arched or rounded forward.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Iwerks is more interested in showing us the race against time, especially for a park that deviated from the light theming and simple rides of amusement parks of the era.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Travis Scott has deviated very little from drab colors on his Air Jordan 1s.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After five minutes with that group’s House chair, Waterford Democrat Janet Polinsky, Keane was hooked for life.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Still, to sit opposite him at a small table is just a bit like being hooked to a polygraph, despite his air of mannerly warmth.—
Fred Schruers,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The door swung open on the second ring, and I was quickly ushered inside.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But then Goetz swung back around, assumed a combat stance, and began firing.—
Heather Ann Thompson,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Chants were being chanted, yes, but there was a lot of silence, too, heads bowed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Earlier this month, X bowed to pressure and stopped the image tool from editing photos of real people after a backlash around the world to edits of women in revealing clothing.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For everyone other than the Hoosiers and Hurricanes, the page had been turned along with the calendar.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The innocent girl turned jaded seductress, peeling off her sheer black lingerie to pose for the camera.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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