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View synonyms for lurch

lurch

1

[ lurch ]

noun

  1. an act or instance of swaying abruptly.
  2. an awkward, swaying or staggering motion or gait.
  3. a sudden tip or roll to one side, as of a ship or a staggering person.


verb (used without object)

  1. to make a lurch; move with lurches; stagger:

    The wounded man lurched across the room.

    Synonyms: totter, reel, lunge

  2. (of a ship) to roll or pitch suddenly.

lurch

2

[ lurch ]

noun

  1. a situation at the close of various games in which the loser scores nothing or is far behind the opponent.

lurch

3

[ lurch ]

verb (used without object)

  1. British Dialect. to lurk near a place; prowl.

verb (used with object)

  1. Archaic. to do out of; defraud; cheat.
  2. Obsolete. to acquire through underhanded means; steal; filch.

noun

  1. Archaic. the act of lurking or state of watchfulness.

lurch

1

/ lɜːtʃ /

verb

  1. to lean or pitch suddenly to one side
  2. to stagger or sway
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of lurching
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lurch

2

/ lɜːtʃ /

noun

  1. leave someone in the lurch
    to desert someone in trouble
  2. cribbage the state of a losing player with less than 30 points at the end of a game (esp in the phrase in the lurch )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lurch

3

/ lɜːtʃ /

verb

  1. archaic.
    intr to prowl or steal about suspiciously
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈlurching, adjective
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Other Words From

  • lurching·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lurch1

First recorded in 1800–10; origin uncertain

Origin of lurch2

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French lourche a game, noun use of lourche (adjective) “defeated,” from a Germanic language; compare Middle High German lurz “left (hand); wrong,” lürzen “to deceive,” Old English belyrtan “to deceive”

Origin of lurch3

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English lorchen “to skulk,” apparently variant of lurken lurk
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lurch1

C19: origin unknown

Origin of lurch2

C16: from French lourche a game similar to backgammon, apparently from lourche (adj) deceived, probably of Germanic origin

Origin of lurch3

C15: perhaps a variant of lurk
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. leave in the lurch, to leave in an uncomfortable or desperate situation; desert in time of trouble:

    Our best salesperson left us in the lurch at the peak of the busy season.

More idioms and phrases containing lurch

see leave in the lurch .
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Example Sentences

But federal courts don’t tell the whole story: Across the country, voters also elected liberal justices to their state Supreme Courts, which function as a key backstop for civil rights and democracy as federal courts lurch rightward.

From Slate

That's the key finding from a new study from researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology, which shows that employees' morale and job performance decline sharply when leaders lurch unpredictably between good and bad behavior.

The results from Michigan showed a clear lurch towards the Republican Party by Muslim voters in the state, likely the result of the Biden administration’s role in aiding Israel in its war in Gaza.

From BBC

Now, former clients tell the BBC they have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket and “in the lurch” by authorities, while Archie has declared himself bankrupt.

From BBC

She said differences in childcare across the border were frustrating and she felt she had been left in the lurch.

From BBC

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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