lurch
1[ lurch ]
/ lɜrtʃ /
noun
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.
verb (used without object)
(of a ship) to roll or pitch suddenly.
to make a lurch; move with lurches; stagger: The wounded man lurched across the room.
Words nearby lurch
Origin of lurch
1First recorded in 1760–70; origin uncertain
OTHER WORDS FROM lurch
lurch·ing·ly, adverbDefinition for lurched (2 of 2)
lurch3
[ lurch ]
/ lɜrtʃ /
verb (used with object)
Archaic. to do out of; defraud; cheat.
Obsolete. to acquire through underhanded means; steal; filch.
verb (used without object)
British Dialect. to lurk near a place; prowl.
noun
Archaic. the act of lurking or state of watchfulness.
Origin of lurch
3Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for lurched
British Dictionary definitions for lurched (1 of 3)
lurch1
/ (lɜːtʃ) /
verb (intr)
to lean or pitch suddenly to one side
to stagger or sway
noun
the act or an instance of lurching
Derived forms of lurch
lurching, adjectiveWord Origin for lurch
C19: origin unknown
British Dictionary definitions for lurched (2 of 3)
lurch2
/ (lɜːtʃ) /
noun
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 for lurch
C16: from French lourche a game similar to backgammon, apparently from lourche (adj) deceived, probably of Germanic origin
British Dictionary definitions for lurched (3 of 3)
lurch3
/ (lɜːtʃ) /
verb
(intr) archaic, or dialect to prowl or steal about suspiciously
Word Origin for lurch
C15: perhaps a variant of lurk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with lurched
lurch
see leave in the lurch.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.