swerve

1
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
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 But by the time early voting ended this weekend, early turnout totals had swerved back toward the Republican side. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2025 How can President Donald Trump swerve the U.S. Constitution in order to remain as Commander-in-Chief for a third term? Jon Stewart believes the answer might lie in classic ‘90s action flick Face/Off, which starred Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. Peter White, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025 The Honda driver swerved to avoid the stopping device and continued on the interstate, according to the warrant affidavits. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2025 Denny Hamlin has opened up about a road rage incident following the Homestead-Miami NASCAR Cup Series race, where a car from Richard Childress Racing (RCR) swerved into a Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) vehicle after JGR lost its police escort. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swerve
Verb
  • In conversation, de Moraes often veers between jokes and brusque legal assertions.
    Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Densely plotted and emotional without veering into Shondaland melodrama, The Pitt follows a single 15-hour shift in an emergency department in Pittsburgh, 24 style.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Concave tiles, which curve inward, and convex tiles, which curve outward, are installed at different levels along the seawall.
    Sara Pezeshk, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025
  • After completing Slither Housing in 2000, an angular yet gently curved 105-unit apartment building in Japan’s Gifu prefecture, the husband-and-wife team increasingly turned its attentions to cultural architecture.
    Oscar Holland, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
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
Verb
  • Even Porziņģis missing time throughout the playoffs didn’t force the Celtics to deviate much from their plan.
    Jay King, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • The main function of the yeast deviated from producing good beer to simply being able to survive for an extraordinarily long period of time without its primary food source: barley sugar.
    Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The prolific New York Times best-selling author hooked us with her debut, The Wedding Date, followed by a roster of page-turners featuring dynamic Black women.
    Mariette Williams, Essence, 15 Apr. 2025
  • After that, my friends and I attended the Midwest Gaming Classic, and I was hooked.
    Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 15 Apr. 2025
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
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
Verb
  • The former mayor of Salzburg gave the project the go-head in 2024, but now a governmental skirmish has begun after the mayoral office swung from the political right to the left after an election.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The second player swings the ball across the top of the key to the second side.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swerve. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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