Thesaurus results for LURCHED

lurched

verb

past tense of lurch

as in swayed

to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the room lurched with every jolt of the earthquake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in staggered

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

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 lurched The airplane lurched skyward, and Elwood was strapped in for the ride. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 Markets have lurched up and down as oil prices shot higher because of the war with Iran. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 His car lurched forward with Miller’s arm still reaching through the window, briefly dragging the cop down the street. — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026 There are vivid characters—the rich, distinguished crook Brandon, the platinum-blond secretary Miss Vermilyea; Javonen, ex-military intelligence, and seedy private eye from Kansas, Noble, who might have lurched out of an early Graham Greene story. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Adams’ shoulders lurched on the bench, while Richards fell to his knees, dug his afro into the grass, and closed his eyes in pain. — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 7 July 2026 Initial data indicates both of these earthquakes were strike-slip, Magnani said, meaning one plate lurched past the other along the boundary. — Evan Bush, NBC news, 25 June 2026 Latin America has lurched rightward in recent elections, as governments scramble to curtail violence stemming from record cocaine production. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 21 June 2026 As the carriage lurched forward, the teen’s mother fell from the vehicle, prompting Romanch Mahajan to jump out in an effort to help her, The Times reported. — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 19 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurched

Verb

With the challenges of supply chains and higher prices on retailers’ hands, shoppers are highly attuned to these considerations and can be swayed by retailers who demonstrate their ability to deliver on time and as promised.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Throughout the performances, River had her arm around Remy as the siblings swayed, clapped and whooped for their mom.

— Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of swayed

Verb

Biden called for reforms, too, in his final year, recommending that the Court’s Justices be limited to eighteen-year terms, staggered so that Presidents could appoint one every two years.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Shore excursions leave on time, dining reservations are staggered throughout the evening, and all-aboard times aren’t suggestions.

— Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of staggered

Verb

The offence that shook baseball in October appeared again, leading the Jays to their second-largest margin of victory this year in an 11-0 win against the Cleveland Guardians.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Several heavy explosions shook Kuhestak, with fireballs that lighted up the night sky, according to security camera recordings carried by the semiofficial news agency Fars.

— David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of shook

Verb

But in 1933, within a matter of days, they were jerked back into reality.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026

Definition of jerked

Browse Nearby Words

lurch

lurched

lurches

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“Lurched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurched. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of lurched

verb

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