swerve

verb

ˈswərv How to pronounce swerve (audio)
Definition of swervenext
1
as in to veer
to depart abruptly from a straight line or course the car swerved sharply to avoid the squirrel in the road

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to curve
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 to bend
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 to deviate
to change one's course or direction the hurricane had been following the coastline before it swerved and headed inland

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb swerve contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of swerve are depart, deviate, digress, diverge, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

Where would depart be a reasonable alternative to swerve?

While in some cases nearly identical to swerve, depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

When might deviate be a better fit than swerve?

Although the words deviate and swerve have much in common, deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

When could digress be used to replace swerve?

The words digress and swerve can be used in similar contexts, but digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

How are the words diverge and depart related as synonyms of swerve?

Diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

When would veer be a good substitute for swerve?

In some situations, the words veer and swerve are roughly equivalent. However, veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

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 swerve Another driver then made a turn, trying to swerve to avoid the fast-moving Expedition. —Chris Spargo, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025 The creatives are perceptive about knowing when to play something for laughs and when to swerve, letting the audience stumble into an unexpected and very earnest emotional gut-punch. —Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025 Sanchez swerved onto the freeway shoulder and hit Cortez, prosecutors said. —Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025 The problem with swerving was that there were nearby pedestrians that would be endangered. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerve
  1. veer
  2. curve
  3. bend
  4. deviate
  5. hook
  6. turn
  7. arch
  8. swing
Verb
  • Less than two weeks later, a Learjet 35A owned by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil, who was not on the plane, veered off the runway while landing, and crashed into a Gulfstream business jet on the ramp at Scottsdale Municipal Airport, in Arizona, and the pilot died.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
  • What To Know European leaders are veering away from previous plans to deploy troops to Ukraine just after Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a halt on attacks against energy infrastructure targets for 30 days.
    — Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of veer
Verb
  • The most recent of the roadway fatalities took place about 7:45 a.m. Monday, when a westbound Ford SUV veered off a curving stretch of Gopher Canyon Road in Bonsall and crashed into a ditch near Valley of the King Road, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
    — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The connection to contemporary art also informs the design of the bottle, which was inspired by the curving landforms of Charles Jencks’ Cells of Life at Jupiter Artland.
    — Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of curve
Verb
  • These are just three ways UNICEF Zambia is helping to bend the curve for children.
    — Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The fashion house’s artisans began experimenting with the material—which is extremely lightweight, strong, and pliable—and eventually created handles out of them by gently bending the stalks with fire and then applying many coats of lacquer.
    — Diana Budds, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of bend
Verb
  • The show deviates from the real Melissa and Keith and goes into entirely fictional territory, introducing another possible victim.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
  • There’s always a chance for a surprise cameo that deviates from the source material, but Choi Hyun-wook is not currently listed as a Season 2 cast member.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of deviate
Verb
  • The 71-year-old coach doubled over punching the air in a rare show of celebration late in the second quarter when Chen drove left-handed to the rim and hooked in a layup, drawing a foul against USC freshman Avery Howell and hitting her free throw to boot.
    — Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Forward Noah Gregor was called for hooking and holding in the first period and defenseman Mario Ferraro took hooking and tripping penalties in the second.
    — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of hook
Verb
  • Ryan Coogler first turned heads with his 2013 debut Fruitvale Station, a shattering account of a fatal shooting that presaged the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Lisa Rinna turned Wednesday’s H&M & LA event in Los Angeles into a family affair, attending the event alongside her daughters Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray Hamlin.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of turn
Verb
  • That means keeping your low back from arching or extending, especially in positions where that tends to happen, like during long car rides.
    — Galina Espinoza, Flow Space, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Push down through your heels, squeeze your buttocks, and raise your hips off the floor, being sure not to arch your back.
    — Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHT, Verywell Health, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of arch
Verb
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, (Last week: 1) The betting odds have swung massively into Gilgeous-Alexander’s favor with Jokić missing so many games recently with an ankle injury.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Still no timetable on anything, but he’s been able to swing the bat and feel like there’s been some steady improvement day after day.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of swing

Browse Nearby Words

swept (away)
swerve
swerved
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerve. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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