1
as in veers
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 curves
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 bends
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swerves
And then, quite predictably, Hacks swerves away from that pain at the last second.
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The one who swerves first loses face but survives.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The conversation swerves to the inevitable topic of AI and art.
—Erin Entrada Kelly, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
As the season swerves into Lap 2, let’s see who’s doing better (and worse) lately.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Duprey then swerves and slides under a vehicle.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
At first, the robot drives around a glass panel displaying an ad, but then swerves back inside the bus shelter and hits the panel without one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
At one point during the interview, the conversation swerves into a five-minute debate about hair.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
The Bentley then swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The one who swerves first loses face but survives.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The conversation swerves to the inevitable topic of AI and art.
—Erin Entrada Kelly, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
As the season swerves into Lap 2, let’s see who’s doing better (and worse) lately.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Duprey then swerves and slides under a vehicle.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
At first, the robot drives around a glass panel displaying an ad, but then swerves back inside the bus shelter and hits the panel without one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
At one point during the interview, the conversation swerves into a five-minute debate about hair.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
The Bentley then swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerves
Verb
-
Check out this 1997 live TV version of Paranoid Android, which veers from lullaby to apocalypse within the space of a few minutes.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
-
But Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed almost immediately veers off into wild subplots about murder, corruption, and corporate malfeasance, as if to emphasize that low-level romance scams are just the tip of the internet’s fetid iceberg.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The dials are all adorned with a railway minute track that curves around every petal to accentuate the flower’s form.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
19 May 2026
-
The Page style has a narrow slingback strap, a slim stiletto heel and an open front that curves into a small, petal-like peep-toe rather than a sharp cutout.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Every deployment contributes to future capability, which means the value curve bends upward with time rather than flattening.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
-
Seay bends down in the hallway and leans in.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The same fate likely awaits any presidential candidate who deviates from their line.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2026
-
Now, Hilton rarely deviates from her signature look, of which long, perfectly curled or waved blonde hair is a key element.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Smith arches over the patient, his body an umbrella to protect the wound.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
-
The protective netting that arches over so many of the roads in the eastern Donbas region – stopping drones in their tracks – is not your friend here, but a limitation on movement.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Skau warned that as attention turns towards ameliorating the security crisis, resources should not be taken away from addressing the surging humanitarian needs, which include more than 5 million people who do not have enough to eat.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
Your optimism helps others stay open, while your curiosity quickly finds the tweak that turns tension into teamwork.—
PubSubHub User,
Baltimore Sun,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Armour hooks my arm, and the panic abates.—
Adam Erace,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
-
Marketing experts say while more and more cash is flowing into the clip-ification of all things, those watching the content can view clips as cheap and disposable moments, not something that hooks someone on a show or internet personality.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The thought swings through her, like a burning stick through night air.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
In one sequence, Atlas shifts its weight and swings its leg forward to guide a ball smoothly across the floor.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerves. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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