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
According to investigators, the suspects swerved at officers who were on foot in the area near 60th Avenue and Yarrow Lane.
—
Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Bored by the beige that blankets most homes in the area, Everett swerved in the opposite direction.
—Julie Vadnal, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
Bored by the beige that blankets most homes in the area, Everett swerved in the opposite direction.
—Julie Vadnal, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
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After the initial collision, police said that the Kia then veered into another lane, where it was struck by a 2022 Dodge Ram 5500 pulling a trailer that was being driven by a 50-year-old Los Angeles man.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Chupacabras kicker Ben Derby’s game-tying field goal attempt in the final minute hit one of Tingley’s decks and veered right of the goal posts, effectively sealing Orlando’s closer-than-expected win.—
Sean Rider,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The cosmos has three possible geometries—positively curved like a sphere, flat like an infinite plane or negatively curved like a saddle—but geometry alone doesn’t determine shape.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
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The rear of the speaker is smartly curved to better hug your body when it is slung over your shoulder, too.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sami’s hair and beard were gray, and his thick eyebrows arched over his tired walnut eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Engage your core and keep your back relatively flat (not arched or rounded).—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But during the first week of the Iran war, Hegseth’s press briefings deviated from the measured tone expected from high-ranking military officials.—
Casey Ryan Kelly,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The nearly 16 ½-hour flight that Mikhaell, Patel, and others were on from Dubai to Chicago deviated from its normal route to avoid the ongoing war.—
Charlie De Mar,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kleemann, who had been urged by her father, Mike, to try softball, shifted to catcher and was hooked.—
Sam Brief,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
First, David Perron hooked Pastrnak and, after Detroit won the initial faceoff, Mo Seider shot the puck out of the rink.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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My dad glanced behind us once to see if we were being followed, winked at me in the rearview mirror, and then swung our car toward Interstate 80, headed west.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Then the pendulum swung and strength training came into vogue in the ’90s and 2000s as more research emerged suggesting that lifting could help improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis, Petrzela says.—
Caitlin Carlson,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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France bowed to $600K at 255 screens during the Spring Fête du Cinema, which lasts from March 22-25.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
22 Mar. 2026
-
As the crowd cheered, Briggs said, the chief put two $1 bills in the officer’s pockets then bowed or curtsied.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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O'ahu resident Melanie Lee saw what's left of her house for the first time on Monday after the worst flooding Hawaii has seen in two decades turned parts of the islands' emerald communities into mud.—
Matt Gutman,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Widow turned aspiring government contractor Elizabeth Griscom Ross was indeed real.—
Marla Miller,
The Conversation,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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