lurches 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lurch
1
as in sways
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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2
as in staggers
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

lurches

2 of 2

noun

plural of lurch
as in collapses

Related Words

Dissimilar 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 lurches
Verb
Hop on the #6 double-decker from Central to Stanley beach, which lurches around Hong Kong Island's mountainous southern South China Sea coast (sit upstairs on the right-hand side). — Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026 The alternative is a region that lurches from crisis to crisis, and from one extreme to another. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 With a cigarette dangling from her lips, ashes and curse words ever ready to fall, Angela lurches around the house critical of everything and everyone. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 Push your right foot down, and the Grand Sport lurches forward like a bat out of hell and straight into two esses, which right away show you how nicely dialed-in the steering is. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026 By the end, Noonan’s film stops feeling like a first date and starts to resemble the makings of a crime scene as his mood lurches toward something dangerous. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 May 2026 Republicans’ hopes of holding on to their slim majorities in the House and Senate may well hinge on the cost at the pump as the war against Iran lurches into its second week. — Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Mar. 2026 But Wembanyama is on the short list of MVP favorites as the league lurches toward the playoffs, a list that includes former NBA champions Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of OKC, Denver’s Nikola Jokic along with Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and Los Angeles’ Luka Doncic. — Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026 After a moment of hesitation, Harington lurches forward and plants a passionate kiss on Turner, who responds in kind. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurches
  1. sways
  2. staggers
  3. collapses
  4. rocks
  5. washouts
  6. shakes
  7. flops
  8. upsets
Verb
  • The set moves in and out, another set rolls over, and another is on a gimbal that sways as the whale moves.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But forcing heavy steel trains onto a floating highway that rolls, sways, and shifts with the tides was widely considered an invitation to disaster.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of sways
Verb
  • Steely and deliberate songwriting that casually staggers down the line between rhythm and melody, laced with loose yet conscious jams.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 June 2026
  • Like many Florida school districts, OCPS staggers start times to most efficiently use its school buses and drivers.
    — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of staggers
Noun
  • Division 1 contenders Barring late-season collapses or major upsets, the Southern Section Division 1 playoff teams are looking pretty easy to identify.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The balcony of one of the beachfront homes is collapses into the sea.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of collapses
Verb
  • But beyond artsy activities, this tablet also rocks powerful performance thanks to 8GB of expandable memory and 256GB of local storage.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
  • More than 180 acts have been announced so far for Treefort, which rocks multiple venues across downtown Boise.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rocks
Noun
  • Massive waves also stripped millions of cubic yards of sand from Southern California beaches, and sections of the Pacific Coast Highway suffered severe flooding, mudslides and washouts.
    — Gary Griggs, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Officials said special attention will be given to gravel roads that could be susceptible to washouts and erosion.
    — Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of washouts
Verb
  • Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (2) shakes hands with guard Jake West (3) in the second half of a Big Ten Tournament game against Purdue on March, 12, 2026, at the United Center.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Then the shuttle appears on screen, the music swells and the room shakes with the tearing, rumbling force of a launch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of shakes
Noun
  • Notable names in this batch include billionaire Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy and tokenization service Securitize, both of which have been public market flops, but not outright debacles.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Thus, no sooner was Digger declared one of the biggest flops of all time than the reclamation project got underway.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of flops
Noun
  • Consecutive weeks filled with upsets have resulted in Miami sitting in the top spot of the college football world.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Division 1 contenders Barring late-season collapses or major upsets, the Southern Section Division 1 playoff teams are looking pretty easy to identify.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of upsets

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lurched
lurches
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Cite this Entry

“Lurches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurches. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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