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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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
The video shows the teen swerving to avoid a collision, losing control, crossing back across the interstate, and rolling into the median.
—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Investigators were attempting to figure out what caused the Kia to swerve into the truck, and whether drugs or alcohol were factors in what happened.
—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
By some stroke of luck, or quick thinking, or fate, as the woman flew from the sidewalk and onto the road, the driver swerved in the nick of time and rushed to check on her.
—
Diana Fox,
Air Mail,
20 June 2026
The elegant staging tries to compensate, but the performers have to rely a little too heavily on their own charms to make up the difference in a play that swerves unexpectedly at the end into a cutesy fairy tale.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for swerve
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
26 June 2026
Investigators were attempting to figure out what caused the Kia to swerve into the truck, and whether drugs or alcohol were factors in what happened.
—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
By some stroke of luck, or quick thinking, or fate, as the woman flew from the sidewalk and onto the road, the driver swerved in the nick of time and rushed to check on her.
—
Diana Fox,
Air Mail,
20 June 2026
The elegant staging tries to compensate, but the performers have to rely a little too heavily on their own charms to make up the difference in a play that swerves unexpectedly at the end into a cutesy fairy tale.
—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for swerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerve
Verb
-
Dark clouds hovered around the stadium just before kickoff, threatening to delay the start of the game, but Mother Nature apparently is a soccer fan, because the storm veered away.
-
One feels exposed, out in the elements, seeking shade from shapes that appear like altars or overlooking winding paths that veer high and low.
Verb
-
His update on the C-cut began just below the chin, with extra lift at the roots and inward-curving lengths that narrowed toward the ends to create the illusion of a heart.
-
In the final minute of stoppage time to end the first half, Morocco's Achraf Hakimi curved his free kick right in front of the goal, seemingly just one perfect touch away from a goal.
Verb
-
By attaching protein tags to a cell membrane, the synthetic biologist Reinhard Lipowsky at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces attracted other proteins to crowd around and physically bend the membrane, forcing the cell to divide.
-
Australia’s Parliament passed a law, but markets bend to no law.
Verb
-
Honda's vehicles feature a distinct design language and identity that evolves without deviating from the brand's ethos.
-
And yet at the start of the Mass, a priest read aloud a statement justifying the consecrations as a necessary defense of the faith and criticizing how the Catholic Church today had deviated from tradition.
Verb
-
Volunteer Sergio Rovelli said anyone who has dedicated their time to the project gets hooked.
-
The entire plug was on the outside of the pike’s mouth—he couldn’t be hooked too solidly.
Verb
-
Some critics on social media counter that the gatherings risk turning spirituality into spectacle, performance and commodity all at once.
-
The patriotic ball drop is scheduled to air at midnight ET on CNN as July 3 turns into July 4 in Times Square.
Verb
-
When the rain cleared, a rainbow arched above the New York skyline.
-
Pay Attention to Plant Form Plants come in a wide range of shapes, from arching to columnar to spreading.
Verb
-
Beat a prime Holloway at 170, though, and the door swings back open to the paydays he's chased since the rematch became official.
-
To the fans who have watched the Warriors swing and miss on free agents and various trade targets over the last few years, watching Simons sign with another team was painful.
Cite this Entry
“Swerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerve. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
