1
as in to sway
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the room lurched with every jolt of the earthquake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
dressed in his zombie costume, the boy lurched down the street in his quest for Halloween candy
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in washout
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 lurch
Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 10 Mar. 2025
Yet the country is waking up to a new political reality that has lurched to the right with the once outcast Alternative for Germany (AfD) party now firmly established in German politics.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Michael Bobelian, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024
The closure would leave drivers, bus riders and cyclists in the lurch with no clear detour between downtown and neighborhoods to the east, advocates say.
—Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Verb
Still, the cost is low compared with historical home prices that saw fast growth after the Great Recession then lurched further skyward during the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 10 Mar. 2025
Yet the country is waking up to a new political reality that has lurched to the right with the once outcast Alternative for Germany (AfD) party now firmly established in German politics.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
The lurch to the right is the culmination of a more than 50-year transformation.
—Michael Bobelian, TIME, 7 Oct. 2024
The closure would leave drivers, bus riders and cyclists in the lurch with no clear detour between downtown and neighborhoods to the east, advocates say.
—Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurch
Verb
-
Combs’ defense team made arguments for delaying the trial up to two months, but the judge was not swayed.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Tribal dancers stomp and sway alongside breakdancers, all in one continuous shot that becomes an anachronistic continuum of Black musical expression across the ages.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The law staggers the commissioners’ five-year terms so the president may appoint a new member annually.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
-
In March, 1945, as the war staggered to a close, some two hundred Hungarian Jewish forced laborers were executed near Rechnitz.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Cinema Saviours After years of the washout of the Covid years, the appearance of Oppenheimer and Barbie, appearing in cinemas at the same time gave us the much talked about ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, with many people choosing to see both films on the same day.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
-
In fairness, Grier and McDaniel haven’t wasted much money on big-ticket washouts.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The back-and-forth over tariffs shook confidence in U.S. leadership, exposed fractures within Trump’s team and rattled companies that rely on global sources for products and international customers for sales.—
Time,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Trump's punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession, and driven worldwide stocks sharply downward.—
Joe Cash and Trevor Hunnicutt,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The timing of her brand’s launch, coinciding with the collapse of the global economy, created an environment of enormous difficulty.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The Dominican Republic National Police confirmed 79 people were killed as a result of the roof collapse as of Tuesday night.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
He’s enjoyed his journey so far, rocking stages from small venues, such as nightclubs, to even having a brief performance at Rolling Loud.—
Marcus D. Smith,
Sacbee.com,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Investors looking for winners in the age of AI should follow the advice of Don Valentine, the late founder of Sequoia Capital. Tariffs and tech—these twin forces are rocking the world, from markets to militaries.—
Rich Karlgaard,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Tonight, then, could be his redemption: Villa causing the upset of the knockouts by surging into the semi-finals at the expense of his old club and the best-looking team in the last eight (our latest podcast is bowing down at Luis Enrique’s feet).—
Justin Guthrie,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
-
In a year with relatively few upsets, the best models closely mirrored the actual trajectory of March Madness.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There’s the Hail Mary fiasco and its fallout, but Stevenson also continued to rotate with Smith last season.—
Kevin Fishbain,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Those are problems, not fiascos, and problems happen.—
Ina Fried,
Axios,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurch. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share