swerve

[ swurv ]

/ swɜrv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR swerve ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), swerved, swerv·ing.

to turn aside abruptly in movement or direction; deviate suddenly from the straight or direct course.

verb (used with object), swerved, swerv·ing.

to cause to turn aside: Nothing could swerve him.

noun

an act of swerving; turning aside.

Nearby words

Origin of swerve

1175–1225; Middle English swerven (v.); Old English sweorfan to rub, file; cognate with Dutch zwerven to rove, Old High German swerban, Old Norse sverfa to file, Gothic afswairban to wipe off

Related formsun·swerved, adjectiveun·swerv·ing, adjectiveun·swerv·ing·ly, adverbun·swerv·ing·ness, noun

Synonym study

1. See deviate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swerve

Motorcycles roar and swerve around women who balance soaring bundles confidently on their heads.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They kept the Portuguese in check, matching them tackle for tackle, swerve for swerve.
Team USA 2, Portugal 2: Seconds Away From World Cup Glory|Tunku Varadarajan|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This kind of swerve has been ventured before and it led to an electoral dead end.
Democrats Must Run on Obamacare in November|Robert Shrum|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Swerve won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
The Books Everyone Must Read Before Graduating From College||June 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It moved past them at a walking pace, with an odd, irregular bob and swerve like a spinning top.
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Storm Chaser|Lee Sandlin|April 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They were convinced of the cashier's honesty and no theories founded on purely physical attributes could swerve them.
On Secret Service|William Nelson Taft
He was almost ready to swerve toward the third planet and its moon, but first he had a speech to make.
Tulan|Carroll Mather Capps
Something, however, caused Captain Fisher to swerve across my line of pursuit.
Buckskin Mose|Buckskin Mose
If he seems inclined to swerve or hesitate, the whip, applied just when he should rise, will often prevent his stopping.
How Women Should Ride|C. De Hurst
So near was she to the bridge that she had to swerve her horse quickly to avoid being struck by a fragment of the falling wood.
The Moving Picture Girls in War Plays|Laura Lee Hope

British Dictionary definitions for swerve

swerve

/ (swɜːv) /

verb

to turn or cause to turn aside, usually sharply or suddenly, from a course

(tr) to avoid (a person or event)

noun

the act, instance, or degree of swerving

Derived Formsswervable, adjectiveswerver, noun

Word Origin for swerve

Old English sweorfan to scour; related to Old High German swerban to wipe off, Gothic afswairban to wipe off, Old Norse sverfa to file

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

Word Origin and History for swerve

swerve

early 13c., "to depart, make off;" early 14c., "to turn aside, deviate from a straight course," probably from Old English sweorfan "to rub, scour, file" (but sense development is difficult to trace), from Proto-Germanic *swerbanan (cf Old Norse sverfa "to scour, file," Old Saxon swebran "to wipe off"), from PIE root *swerbh-. Cognate words in other Germanic languages (cf. Old Frisian swerva "to creep," Middle Dutch swerven "to rove, stray") suggests the sense of "go off, turn aside" may have existed in Old English, though unrecorded. Related: Swerved; swerving.

swerve

1741, from swerve (v.).

swerve

verb (used without object), swerved, swerv·ing.

verb (used with object), swerved, swerv·ing.

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of swerve

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for swerve

swerve

verb

noun

Word Origin for swerve

swerve

swerve