lurch1
- an act or instance of swaying abruptly.
- a sudden tip or roll to one side, as of a ship or a staggering person.
- an awkward, swaying or staggering motion or gait.
- (of a ship) to roll or pitch suddenly.
- to make a lurch; move with lurches; stagger: The wounded man lurched across the room.
Origin of lurch1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comlurch3
- Archaic. to do out of; defraud; cheat.
- Obsolete. to acquire through underhanded means; steal; filch.
- British Dialect. to lurk near a place; prowl.
- Archaic. the act of lurking or state of watchfulness.
Origin of lurch3
Related Words
totterbumbleteeterjerkreeltiltleanseesawswaywallowflounderstaggercareenwobblefalterheavestumbleduckdodgepitchExamples from the Web for lurched
Contemporary Examples
He lurched hard over the curb, his hand raised toward the passing cars.
He lurched from story to story and sometimes into improvisation with no reason for or momentum to his overall line of thought.
Chasen did not surrender her purse, jewelry, money, or car, but lurched leftward onto Whittier, where she crashed into a lamppost.
Theo fell off his bike and lurched across the road, then collapsed.
Historical Examples
It was as though the involuntary kiss had lurched him forward into a futurity of misery.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
Behind them lurched another man, slinking in the background.
Louisiana LouWilliam West Winter
Lionel lurched in, closed the door, and shot home one of its bolts.
The Sea-HawkRaphael Sabatini
He turned, and lurched into the dining-room upon legs that trembled.
The Sea-HawkRaphael Sabatini
He rose somewhat unsteadily, and lurched across to the window.
The Trampling of the LiliesRafael Sabatini
lurch1
- to lean or pitch suddenly to one side
- to stagger or sway
- the act or an instance of lurching
Word Origin
lurch2
- leave someone in the lurch to desert someone in trouble
- 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)
Word Origin
lurch3
- (intr) archaic, or dialect to prowl or steal about suspiciously
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for lurched
lurch
n.1
"sudden pitch to one side," 1784, from earlier lee-larches (1765), a nautical term for "the sudden roll which a ship makes to lee-ward in a high sea, when a large wave strikes her, and bears her weather-side violently up, which depresses the other in proportion" ["Complete Dictionary of Arts and Sciences," London 1765]; perhaps from French lacher "to let go," from Latin laxus (see lax).
When a Ship is brought by the Lee, it is commonly occaſsioned by a large Sea, and by the Neglect of the Helm's-man. When the Wind is two or three Points on the Quarter, the Ship taking a Lurch, brings the Wind on the other Side, and lays the Sails all dead to the Maſt; as the Yards are braced up, ſhe then having no Way, and the Helm being of no Service, I would therefore brace about the Head ſails ſharp the other Way .... [John Hamilton Moore, Practical Navigator, 8th ed., 1784]
lurch
n.2
"predicament," 1580s, from Middle English lurch (v.) "to beat in a game of skill (often by a great many points)," mid-14c., probably literally "to make a complete victory in lorche," a game akin to backgammon, from Old French lourche. The game name is perhaps related to Middle English lurken, lorken "to lie hidden, lie in ambush," or it may be adopted into French from Middle High German lurz "left," also "wrong."
lurch
v.
1821, from lurch (n.1). Related: Lurched; lurching.
Idioms and Phrases with lurched
lurch
see leave in the lurch.