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
Cars intentionally swerved close to spook him, sending him into the gravel more than once.
—
Christina Ray Stanton, Time, 2 June 2026
At one point, the suspect allegedly swerved again into the wrong direction -- right at an oncoming big rig.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 15 May 2026
Just months after the unit started, one officer in an unmarked police car spotted a man on a dirtbike and swerved across a yellow line into oncoming traffic, hitting the motorcyclist head-on and sending him flying.
—Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 11 May 2026
Zack Kelly pitched himself to the edge of disaster, then masterfully swerved out of harm’s way.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
Her 2018 masterpiece, Golden Hour, swerved gracefully between country and pop.
—Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
Police say the boy, who was carrying three other teens, swerved into the southbound lane and struck a Suzuki Swift.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The driver swerved to the right to get around the car.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
During the ensuing six-minute pursuit, Estrada swerved the Nissan in and out of lanes on both sides of the road, at times reaching 80 mph.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Christina Ray Stanton, Time, 2 June 2026
At one point, the suspect allegedly swerved again into the wrong direction -- right at an oncoming big rig.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 15 May 2026
Just months after the unit started, one officer in an unmarked police car spotted a man on a dirtbike and swerved across a yellow line into oncoming traffic, hitting the motorcyclist head-on and sending him flying.
—Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 11 May 2026
Zack Kelly pitched himself to the edge of disaster, then masterfully swerved out of harm’s way.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
Her 2018 masterpiece, Golden Hour, swerved gracefully between country and pop.
—Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
Police say the boy, who was carrying three other teens, swerved into the southbound lane and struck a Suzuki Swift.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
The driver swerved to the right to get around the car.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
During the ensuing six-minute pursuit, Estrada swerved the Nissan in and out of lanes on both sides of the road, at times reaching 80 mph.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
-
After several miles, the suspect veered into the middle lanes, still speeding at around 90 mph for most of the time.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
Ukrainian officials apologized and said the drones were aimed at military targets in Russia, but veered off course by Russian electronic interference.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The kitchen built-ins also have curved detailing where the oiled oak veneer meets cream lacquer panels.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
-
Starodubtseva then curved a backhand of her own to break the sideline and send Rybakina almost into the crowd.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Iceland emerged much later when a plume of unusually hot mantle rock arched the ridge up above the gathering waves.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
26 May 2026
-
Her eyebrows were arched and defined, with brown eyeshadow beaten softly into her eye and lashes feathered out.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
But so far, Raman, who has aligned herself with the DSA on issues such as renter protections but deviated on police spending, is struggling to unite the organization.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
With 2025 training camp set to begin, Holmgren’s mind had deviated from the NBA.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Ahead of the premiere, Neofotistos shared with THR how he first got hooked on movies.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
-
While others grew up either watching the WWE (then-World Wrestling Federation) and World Championship Wrestling, Martyr said he got hooked on Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Rice swung at the first pitch from left-hander Noah Cameron, a four-seam fastball, to hit a triple that took an awkward bounce off the left field wall and scattered away from Royals left fielder Isaac Collins past the foul line.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
-
The company has also swung its strategy widely, from an embrace of low-carbon business lines to a hard pivot back to oil and gas.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The new 52-episode season bowed in December 2025 and has already generated more than 350 million YouTube views globally, according to Mediawan, alongside a 132% year-over-year increase in viewership.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
That’s when the defense bowed its neck.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In April, the Grammy winner turned 75 and posted photos on Instagram from a birthday bash showing him surrounded by friends and family.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Eco effort Bottled water comes from a well on site, food waste is turned into compost for the garden and the hotel works with local producers to reduce food miles as much as possible.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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