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 through all this, Saariaho’s elaborately beautiful orchestration scintillates, jabs, caresses, and swerves, giving all that vivid misery a sheen of lyric glamour.
—
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 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
Some readers might expect an indictment of fan fiction and celebrity culture; Yi swerves, though, and creates a more searching and subversive tale of love, connection, and art.
—Maya Chung, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
If one swerves, the other should race; but if one switches to racing, the other should swerve.
—Boris Babic, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
Yet whereas Taxi Driver ends in a sequence of redemptive carnage, First Reformed swerves in its last moments into a scene so ostentatiously at odds with everything coming before that accepting it at face value would seem to mean denying the film up to that point had anything serious to say.
—Roy Scranton
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 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
Some readers might expect an indictment of fan fiction and celebrity culture; Yi swerves, though, and creates a more searching and subversive tale of love, connection, and art.
—Maya Chung, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
If one swerves, the other should race; but if one switches to racing, the other should swerve.
—Boris Babic, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026
Yet whereas Taxi Driver ends in a sequence of redemptive carnage, First Reformed swerves in its last moments into a scene so ostentatiously at odds with everything coming before that accepting it at face value would seem to mean denying the film up to that point had anything serious to say.
—Roy Scranton
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerves
Verb
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This is where Dorit veers wrong a bit.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
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The video, seemingly recorded by a witness from their home window, also shows Ritchson attempting to pick up his motorcycle, which then veers onto the grassy patch by the sidewalk while his two sons, also on motorbikes, watch the confrontation play out.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Frame the face in the most flattering way with a chin-length bob that curves ever so slightly under.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
30 Mar. 2026
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When motion curves around a central point, its angle is measured in radians; one full rotation is equal to 2π.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The design works by tracking how red, green, and blue light attenuate differently as the sensor bends.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Apr. 2026
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In the footage the woman bends, loops her fingers around the laces, once, twice, grass stains on her knees.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Piker’s endorsement of Mills deviates from other progressives who have thrown their support behind Platner.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
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But then the dream deviates, and takes me to the set of Gilligan’s Island, where Bob Denver, who originally played the part of Gilligan, has been replaced by a bearded intellectual who looks like Karl Marx combined with Cesar Romero, who played the Joker on the original Batman TV show.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The front of the mouse arches down and spreads wide, suggesting the noggin of the snake it's named after.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
14 Mar. 2026
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Instead, look to modern lattices, scallops, and arches for a timeless feel that’s still up to date.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Fresh off the global success of KPop Demon Hunters, the film’s vocal stars are bringing their fandom full circle with a new collaboration that turns a familiar fast-food run into an immersive experience.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
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October 23 – November 21 Steady focus turns effort into visible progress.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the plaintiff, questioned Mosseri on Wednesday about whether Instagram chooses profits over the health and safety of minors and whether Mosseri oversees an app that hooks younger users.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The cat who reaches through the kennel bars and hooks a paw around your finger.—
Cathy M. Rosenthal,
San Antonio Express-News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The observation window will be short, however, because once Orion swings all the way around the moon, the brightness of Earth will wash out any potential sightings of the moon dust.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
6 Apr. 2026
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Less through walkouts and more through people feeling like the pendulum swings back, and organizations are trying to hire again.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerves. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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