1
as in veering
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 curving
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 bending
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 deviating
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 swerving
According to the law, exhibition driving is described as operating a vehicle close to a crowd and intentionally skidding, swerving while accelerating or causing the wheels to lose contact with the ground, among other actions.
—
Adam Thompson, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
According to DiMartino, initial investigations indicate that the motorcyclist lost control of his bike while trying to navigate a curve in the road, swerving off the street and into a fatal collision with a light pole.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 Dec. 2025
There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
Photograph by Larry Salzman / AP Nelson kept swerving.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
In 2023, she was hospitalized after crashing her bike while swerving to avoid a truck, and she had also been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 19 Dec. 2025
Straight-line rockets, swerving bends, dipping volleys.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
In many ways, returning to speculative storytelling has felt like a homecoming to Gilligan, even as swerving away from crime presents a chance to expand his legacy.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
Buses are larger, less capable of swerving, and take longer to brake, but bus drivers are also far more likely to drive cautiously and avoid speeding, said Toronto.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Adam Thompson, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
According to DiMartino, initial investigations indicate that the motorcyclist lost control of his bike while trying to navigate a curve in the road, swerving off the street and into a fatal collision with a light pole.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 Dec. 2025
There was reportedly no horseplay or swerving during the ride, according to 9News.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 22 Dec. 2025
Photograph by Larry Salzman / AP Nelson kept swerving.
—Alex Abramovich, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
In 2023, she was hospitalized after crashing her bike while swerving to avoid a truck, and she had also been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 19 Dec. 2025
Straight-line rockets, swerving bends, dipping volleys.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Dec. 2025
In many ways, returning to speculative storytelling has felt like a homecoming to Gilligan, even as swerving away from crime presents a chance to expand his legacy.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
Buses are larger, less capable of swerving, and take longer to brake, but bus drivers are also far more likely to drive cautiously and avoid speeding, said Toronto.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerving
Verb
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Local and state officials have rejected Noem and DHS’s explanation, arguing eyewitness video shows the woman was veering away from the officer when she was shot.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
12 Jan. 2026
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In Dakota County, a farmer took away a section of trail on his property because riders were veering off it.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The animal's tail is usually held up, with the tip curving downward, and its legs are equally lengthened.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
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At first glance, the choker reprises the incisions and delicately curving edges meant to evoke Chanel’s distinctive quilting, with a sliding clasp closure to adjust it closely to the neck.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The most unusual, and arguably funniest, photos were of the couple bending over and grabbing each other's heads between their legs, which was midway in the album.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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Two of the three acts listed in the rock/alternative category, genre-bending rock artist Ecca Vandal, and Speed, the NSW Music Prize-winning Sydney hardcore act, hail from the land down under.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Not deviating from those standards is equally important.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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The resolution would authorize the state to redraw its congressional district maps in the middle of the 10-year cycle, deviating from the current practice of redistricting only after the federal census every 10 years.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pull your stomach inward toward the spine and hold this position without sagging hips or arching your back.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
13 Jan. 2026
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Shiny and dark evergreen foliage is held aloft on strong, arching stems mottled with purple flecks.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Just south of downtown Minneapolis, Rachel Dionne Thunder is one of many members of the Indigenous community turning their wheel and pushing the peddle on patrol.—
Frankie McLister,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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As Bridgerton fans prepare to return to the Ton and Lady Whistledown’s latest round of society gossip, the Shonda Rhimes show’s latest leading lady is putting a head-turning twist on Regency-era fashion.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Also mentioned is an auto-hitch system to simplify hooking it up to the tow vehicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
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The great Amazon in its north drains large areas as does the Parana-River Plate watershed to its south that reaches the Atlantic in the estuary between Argentina and Uruguay, The San Francisco flows north for hundreds of miles before hooking a right and dropping to the Atlantic.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerving. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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