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
Shoemaker swerved right off the 210 and rolled his Ford Bronco down the embankment, about three stories high, and onto the 57 freeway.
—
Los Angeles Times, 26 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
But when Bailey ran out into the street, the car swerved to avoid hitting her and struck Kate instead.
—Max Gao, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The driver of the vehicle that was hit then swerved, resulting in the car hitting the curb and tree.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The man swerved to miss a pedestrian who was using the walkway to cross Harlem at Lake Street, Yopchick said.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Yates rushed to the driveway when Ebert allegedly swerved the vehicle toward him during the incident and struck him.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Confrontation Escalates Fetzer said the vehicles swerved toward the cyclists, honked and put their lives in danger.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The driver swerved into a grass median in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35W, continued through the grass to the bridge at Westport Parkway and drove over the wall onto the road below, Fort Worth police said.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated March 30, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 26 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
But when Bailey ran out into the street, the car swerved to avoid hitting her and struck Kate instead.
—Max Gao, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026
The driver of the vehicle that was hit then swerved, resulting in the car hitting the curb and tree.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The man swerved to miss a pedestrian who was using the walkway to cross Harlem at Lake Street, Yopchick said.
—Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Yates rushed to the driveway when Ebert allegedly swerved the vehicle toward him during the incident and struck him.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Confrontation Escalates Fetzer said the vehicles swerved toward the cyclists, honked and put their lives in danger.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
The driver swerved into a grass median in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35W, continued through the grass to the bridge at Westport Parkway and drove over the wall onto the road below, Fort Worth police said.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated March 30, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerved
Verb
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Harrowing body camera video shows the terrifying moments a California police officer was allegedly kidnapped by an armed robbery suspect and forced to shoot him in the leg as the pair veered down a local roadway.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Colorado’s Republican Party has veered dangerously to the right, and its lawsuit aims to protect that maneuver by flexing its power over our elections.—
Kent Thiry,
Denver Post,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The heavier dust particles are pushed back by sunlight, forming a broad, often curved tail that reflects sunlight according to Swinburne University of Technology.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Video emerged online showing a red Ferrari shooting out of a tunnel along the highway at a high speed, slamming into a concrete barrier where the road curved and erupting into flames.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 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,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Footage shared on social media by Paraguayan outlet Radio Nanduti captured people screaming as the car deviated off course and flipped multiple times in the air before coming to a stop.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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Since then, Davidson hasn’t deviated from his plan.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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OpenAI is locked in a heated battle with Anthropic and Google for leadership in the AI market, trying to get both consumers and business customers hooked on chatbots and other AI tools, while public anger over AI continues to simmer as evidenced by a recent attack on Altman’s home.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
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Ever since, fans have been hooked to see how the friend group navigate fights big and small.—
Colleen Kratofil,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Chevron's refiners swung to a loss of $817 million compared with a profit of $325 million in last year's quarter, due to the lower margins, the timing effects on financial hedges and higher transportation costs.—
Spencer Kimball,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
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Raschi threw, Miñoso swung and the ball took off to straightaway center, disappearing over the old bullpen fence, 415 feet away.—
Marianne Mather,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The romancer, which bowed in SXSW, follows Julia (Hawke), a frustrated video game designer, and Charlie (Pullman), a struggling musician, having supernatural impacts on the world after attending a couples therapy seminar to repair their volatile relationship.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2026
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Charles placed an arrangement of flowers on a parapet before the couple silently bowed their heads in a moment of reflection.—
Philip Marcelo,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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What could’ve turned into a game of foul trouble and interruptions instead turned into a game Brunson controlled anyway.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 May 2026
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Doja Cat turned herself into a work of art in head-to-toe Saint Laurent to attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2026 Met Gala in New York City on Monday.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerved. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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