swerves

verb

present tense third-person singular of swerve
1
as in veers
to depart abruptly from a straight line or course the car swerved sharply to avoid the squirrel in the road

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2
as in curves
to turn away from a straight line or course the bike path gently swerves to the right

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deviates
to change one's course or direction the hurricane had been following the coastline before it swerved and headed inland

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swerves The artist adopts a schizoid persona, with multiple voices flowing out of him, and swerves between lucid social criticism—about the history of slavery or of higher education—and total gibberish. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 The elegant staging tries to compensate, but the performers have to rely a little too heavily on their own charms to make up the difference in a play that swerves unexpectedly at the end into a cutesy fairy tale. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 At times comical, each of these stories swerves and plunges deep into dark truths of human nature. — Literary Hub, 9 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerves
  1. veers
  2. curves
  3. bends
  4. deviates
  5. arches
  6. turns
  7. hooks
  8. swings
Verb
  • That's exactly the mindset incident response leaders need when an incident veers off script from the playbook.
    — David Etue, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Despite the abundance of berries, the fragrance never veers into the medicinal territory that cherry can sometimes take on.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 31 July 2026
Definition of veers
Verb
  • Uganda, a country that curves around Lake Victoria, took on a completely different shape.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
  • Tumon Bay, the island’s main resort district, curves in a sweep of gorgeous waters backed by limestone cliffs and a skyline of hotels that reflect Guam’s long‑standing popularity with Japanese and Korean travelers.
    — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 17 June 2026
Definition of curves
Verb
  • Wollner embraces her knack for surrealism as the piece bends time, past and present blurring.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
  • As sunlight passes through the edges of Earth’s atmosphere, shorter blue wavelengths scatter away while the atmosphere bends the remaining red and orange light towards the moon.
    — Michael d'Estries, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of bends
Verb
  • Walsh’s spaceship deviates from many of the vessels seen in Star Wars, as those ships are often dirty and grubby to emphasize their use and wear.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026
  • And the days are coming when AI is meaningfully involved in clinical care, beyond just transcribing our own words, and the follow-up recommendation deviates from the standard of care.
    — Frances Mei Hardin, STAT, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of deviates
Verb
  • The ceiling arches in the back, hiding a tiny alcove where a couple sits tucked close, their legs tangled beneath the table.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The galaxy arches high across the sky, with its brightest and most detailed regions now well placed after dusk.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of arches
Verb
  • Our fantasy football roundtable series turns its attention to running backs.
    — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • India has put $160 million behind a Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme, and Vietnam’s Decree 05/2025 turns recycled electronics into tradable EPR certificates, making compliance a revenue line rather than a cost.
    — Rob Kaplan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of turns
Verb
  • The airy weave diffuses daylight through the fabric’s natural texture, while the versatile curtain band works with tracks, curtain rods, or hooks for a clean installation.
    — Nina Derwin, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Blatt hooks in a forehand for another match point opportunity, but Campbell wins an amazing rally for 22-22.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of hooks
Verb
  • In the video, testers are seated in a ride vehicle attached to a robotic arm that swings around nearly 360 degrees in the air.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026
  • During one of the more graphic sequences, It4mi swings a blade at the woman, severing her arm and sending blood across the frame.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of swings

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swerves
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Cite this Entry

“Swerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerves. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on swerves

Nglish: Translation of swerves for Spanish Speakers

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