1
as in swaying
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 staggering
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
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Recent Examples of lurching
Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.
—
H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 13 Jan. 2026
The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.
—Nik Popli, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
The old theater, which opened in 1925, seemed to be lurching toward its grave.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Nov. 2025
This can result in a kind of emotional whiplash, with the tone of the videos lurching between joy and devastation.
—Lindsay Lowe, Parents, 8 Nov. 2025
Back then, Newcastle’s thin squad staggered between results, lurching from challenging the best sides in the league to befuddling losses to inferior squads.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 13 Jan. 2026
The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.
—Nik Popli, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
The old theater, which opened in 1925, seemed to be lurching toward its grave.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Nov. 2025
This can result in a kind of emotional whiplash, with the tone of the videos lurching between joy and devastation.
—Lindsay Lowe, Parents, 8 Nov. 2025
Back then, Newcastle’s thin squad staggered between results, lurching from challenging the best sides in the league to befuddling losses to inferior squads.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurching
Verb
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The budding photographer started bringing a camera with him on his underwater adventures to document his dives, with imagery posted on social media sharing sea species such as leopard sharks and swaying kelp forests that dance with the ebb of the ocean.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
5 Feb. 2026
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Imagine swaying to Latin rhythms, a taco in one hand, your partner’s hand in the other.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cheng likes to build muni bond ladders, which means staggering the maturity dates of multiple bonds.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
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To get through the season and the playoffs, staggering the minutes of Green and Horford is logical, even with Quintin Post picking up some center minutes.—
Jannelle Moore,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The away side were rocking, and the waves of Atletico attacks kept coming.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
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Luciana debuted a brand new bob with side bangs just weeks after rocking ultra long hair at another red carpet appearance.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bridgerton treats it as though every woman got multiples of their yearbook photo to hand around as headshots, and Benedict’s taking what would have been treasured personal heirlooms and just shuffling through them and tossing out anyone with the wrong hair color.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
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Silvia showed them little affection or attention, shuffling quickly through the infants to feed, change, or hold them.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Figure skater Amber Glenn skated off the ice, shaking her head after an early landing bobble during today's competition.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
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Both physical strength and constant mental attention are required for this sport in order to control heart rate and shaking in the muscles.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The company is in the process of translating its catalog, using AI to analyze the colors, layers and weaving patterns of previous design files.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Feb. 2026
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And now, the Princess of Wales has made a trip to Melin Tregwynt, a historic woollen mill on the Pembrokeshire coast, known mostly for weaving traditional Welsh double-cloth designs.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lurching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurching. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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