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
On Norwood Ave in Newton, cars swerved at the last minute to avoid a pothole and some even crossed the double line to protect their cars.
—
Paul Burton, CBS News, 3 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
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
Paul Burton, CBS News, 3 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
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Throughout the campaign, the race veered more into social clashes than managing the state’s finances.—
Aarón Torres,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Pixar’s animation style, which has veered toward the gorgeous but generic in recent years, gets a refresh here.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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What looks remote on a flat map proves adjacent when the map is curved.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
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Almost shaped like the letter G, the industrial form is curved inward to create room (but taking up more square footage) for the table’s mango-wood surface.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Engage your core and keep your back relatively flat (not arched or rounded).—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
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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
Verb
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In this case, however, your expertise is needed to help a jury (or litigants) decide whether someone’s personal or professional behavior deviated from the norm in a way that would irreparably harm another person.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Jokic fighs his own battles Three minutes into the game, Jokic was visibly frustrated as George fronted him in the post, hooked the big man’s legs from behind and backed up into his space.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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That is partly what hooked a Goliath investor in Canada, who spoke to the Orlando Sentinel on the condition that she was not identified by name.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bridgerton, with its consciously diverse vision of a Regency world, feels like a project conceived in a more inclusive moment; the pendulum has since swung the other way.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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There’s no doubt that Kirby would’ve loved to have swung that powerful right hook at Hitler on the cover of Captain America Comics #1.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One of the primary ambassadors of Persian classical music has been the composer and kamancheh (an Iranian bowed-instrument) virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor.—
Anastasia Tsioulcas,
NPR,
3 Mar. 2026
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Katherine Nguyen stood with hands folded and head bowed at the altar of a Buddhist temple in Rosemead.—
Deepa Bharath,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Among the many challenges Jackson faced was leading the $6 million-plus rehabilitation effort that turned the building across the street from Hesed House into an additional shelter.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
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The film, now nominated for an Oscar, presents seemingly ordinary rooms that families have turned into sacred spaces, preserving them for years as a way to process grief.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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