1
as in veers
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 curves
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 bends
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swerves
The conversation swerves to the inevitable topic of AI and art.
—
Erin Entrada Kelly, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
As the season swerves into Lap 2, let’s see who’s doing better (and worse) lately.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Duprey then swerves and slides under a vehicle.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
And through all this, Saariaho’s elaborately beautiful orchestration scintillates, jabs, caresses, and swerves, giving all that vivid misery a sheen of lyric glamour.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
At first, the robot drives around a glass panel displaying an ad, but then swerves back inside the bus shelter and hits the panel without one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
At one point during the interview, the conversation swerves into a five-minute debate about hair.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
The Bentley then swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Some readers might expect an indictment of fan fiction and celebrity culture; Yi swerves, though, and creates a more searching and subversive tale of love, connection, and art.
—Maya Chung, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
Erin Entrada Kelly, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
As the season swerves into Lap 2, let’s see who’s doing better (and worse) lately.
—Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Duprey then swerves and slides under a vehicle.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
And through all this, Saariaho’s elaborately beautiful orchestration scintillates, jabs, caresses, and swerves, giving all that vivid misery a sheen of lyric glamour.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
At first, the robot drives around a glass panel displaying an ad, but then swerves back inside the bus shelter and hits the panel without one.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
At one point during the interview, the conversation swerves into a five-minute debate about hair.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
The Bentley then swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Some readers might expect an indictment of fan fiction and celebrity culture; Yi swerves, though, and creates a more searching and subversive tale of love, connection, and art.
—Maya Chung, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerves
Verb
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With the all-new Apex 23X, Oliver veers off the highway to offer a more rugged, all terrain-ready alternative to the Legacy Elite series.—
C.C. Weiss
May 10,
New Atlas,
10 May 2026
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Essie’s Mint Candy Apple captures that creamy green-blue finish, while Essie's Turquoise and Caicos veers more sage-esque in color.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The dials are all adorned with a railway minute track that curves around every petal to accentuate the flower’s form.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
19 May 2026
-
The Page style has a narrow slingback strap, a slim stiletto heel and an open front that curves into a small, petal-like peep-toe rather than a sharp cutout.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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From here, the route bends toward Athlone — a perfect excuse to step into Sean’s Bar, the world’s oldest pub, for a quick pint and a look at its 9th-century wattle‑and‑wicker walls.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
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Most prominently was Hugh Hayden’s permanent new sculpture, a functioning chapel that ingeniously bends at an acute angle.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Verb
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However, the uptick in flights observed off the Cuban coast is new and deviates from where these aircraft have historically been deployed.—
Avery Schmitz,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
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Piker’s endorsement of Mills deviates from other progressives who have thrown their support behind Platner.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The protective netting that arches over so many of the roads in the eastern Donbas region – stopping drones in their tracks – is not your friend here, but a limitation on movement.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
According to Archer Western, HDR’s design engineers failed to properly account for wind loads — including hurricane winds — in an initial, partial design for the signature bridge arches that the contractor used to calculate construction costs and time for its bid.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Another turns downtown into Taste of Black Harrisburg, with food vendors, live mural painting, music, comedy, and chef demonstrations taking over the block.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
14 May 2026
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The device turns virtually any liquid into a frosty drink within 20 to 30 minutes — with a couple of exceptions.—
Clint Davis,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Marketing experts say while more and more cash is flowing into the clip-ification of all things, those watching the content can view clips as cheap and disposable moments, not something that hooks someone on a show or internet personality.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
12 May 2026
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Set in the late 1980s, the film follows 13-year-old Felice (an exceptional Tiziano Menichelli), a budding tennis star whose overbearing father hooks him up with Raul Getti (Favino), a flameout former pro with a new lithium prescription and a serious ladies-man streak.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When Bz points north, Earth’s field resists it; when Bz swings south, the two fields connect, allowing plasma to stream in.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
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Pitchers also know Kwan almost never swings at the first pitch.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerves. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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