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
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
When the victim crossed the street to talk with him, Butera swerved and hit him with the car, the affidavit states.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
According to police and fire officials, the driver struck the bicyclist about a block from the store, then swerved onto the sidewalk and went through the glass windows of the market, coming to a stop in the bakery.
—City News Service, Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
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
When the victim crossed the street to talk with him, Butera swerved and hit him with the car, the affidavit states.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
According to police and fire officials, the driver struck the bicyclist about a block from the store, then swerved onto the sidewalk and went through the glass windows of the market, coming to a stop in the bakery.
—City News Service, Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
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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
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The driver of a northbound vehicle veered into the southbound lanes, hitting one car head-on and causing a chain-reaction crash, authorities said.—
Amy McDaniel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some of them were curved like a hook.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Feb. 2026
-
By tracking how those signals curved through Jupiter’s atmosphere, the team created detailed maps of temperature and density across the planet.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 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
-
Engage your core so that your back is flat (not arched or rounded).—
Jenny McCoy,
Outside,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet Kurnos said that Scripps has deviated from its peers with other moves, such as growing Scripps Sports with local media rights.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
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Over the past few years, San Jose has deviated from the Housing First model by investing more money into interim housing options as an alternative to living on the streets.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meta, as well as YouTube, are accused of intentionally designing addictive features that hooked a now-20-year-old woman as a child and harmed her mental health.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Though the show struggled ratings-wise, those who watched were hooked.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Within seconds, Perez smacked a cellphone out of the man's hand, swung at his head and tackled him to the ground.—
Sheridan Hendrix,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
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Over the past decade, screening guidelines have swung from recommending routine screening to advising against it to landing somewhere in between, and major organizations still don’t all say it the same way.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Holding up a cluster of incense sticks, many bowed their heads several times before planting the sticks in containers placed in front of a temple hall.—
Ken Moritsugu,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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Holding up a cluster of incense sticks, many bowed their heads several times before planting the sticks in containers placed in front of a temple hall.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pranks have turned into memes and other visual online jokes that barely involve active communication.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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This blend of folklore and physics effectively turned a cultural holiday into a showcase for national industrial prowess.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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