swerve

American  

[swurv] / swɜrv /

verb (used without object)

• swerves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swerved,
  past participle,  past
• swerving
  present participle

1. 

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

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verb (used with object)

• swerves,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swerved,
  past participle,  past
• swerving
  present participle

1. to cause to turn aside.

   Nothing could swerve him.

noun

• swerves
  plural

1. an act of swerving; turning aside.

swerve British  

/ swɜːv /

verb

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

2. (tr) to avoid (a person or event)

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noun

1. the act, instance, or degree of swerving

Synonym Usage

See deviate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• swerver
  noun
• unswervingness
  noun
• swervable
  adjective
• unswerved
  adjective
• unswerving
  adjective
• unswervingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swerves
  plural

Participles

• swerving
  present
• swerved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• swerve
  simple
• swerves
  simple
• have swerved
  perfect
• has swerved
  perfect
• am swerving
  progressive
• are swerving
  progressive
• is swerving
  progressive
• have been swerving
  perfect progressive
• has been swerving
  perfect progressive

Past

• swerved
  simple
• had swerved
  perfect
• was swerving
  progressive
• were swerving
  progressive
• had been swerving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will swerve
  simple
• will have swerved
  perfect
• will be swerving
  progressive
• will have been swerving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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

Explanation

The noun swerve means a sudden turn off your path. As a verb, it means to move off your original route, possibly to avoid a collision. You can swerve either toward something or away from it. The word swerve can be traced to the Old English sweorfan, "to turn aside," which is precisely the modern sense. It was first used as a verb in the 13th century and as a noun in the 18th. Swerve refers to a sudden veering off, perhaps not as sharp as a turn, but more a bending of your path. Think of the trajectory as an arc or curve, and remember that swerve rhymes with curve.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swerve swerves swerved swerving

Ford’s “iconic” swerve: CEO Jim Farley is culling the automaker’s broad lineup of often “boring” models to focus on the “iconic vehicle” business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The views were spectacular, if you had the guts to swerve your eyes from the white-knuckling road.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

The footage of the incident shows a bus being forced to swerve into the lane next to them to avoid hitting the woman.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

I want to swerve here to talk about the word that keeps coming to mind when I look at the president’s leadership, and it is “mood.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

We just swerve and swoop for the longest minute of my life.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

The track's most iconic corner, the flat-out swerves known as Eau Rouge, has been easily flat out on a qualifying lap for the best part of two decades.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

There are a number of weird swerves in this generous, if convoluted, offer from your relative.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

We should be so lucky to experience a film that swerves just when we think we’ve made up our minds.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

Throw in a stricter whistle from referees, who are less inclined to award fouls when Harden swerves out of the way to draw contact, and basketball’s great machine goes haywire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

The car behind us swerves and honks its horn in a long, angry blast as it whizzes by.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

But an impromptu audition with material from “Othello” suddenly swerved him into the acting profession — where he has done quite well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

The bus swerved to avoid her, meaning she was not seriously injured.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Critics say the prime minister has swerved from one policy misstep to another during his 22 months at the helm.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

The pickup truck driver tried to edge off to the side of the road, but Woods swerved and clipped the back end of the trailer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

“Watch where you’re walking, Chris!” she shrieked just as a bike swerved around to avoid hitting me.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

Given his track record as a pop hitmaker, it was reasonable to wonder if Ms. Bridgers might be swerving toward the mainstream.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

And Alonzo’s Anne and Zach Trent’s Skateboard Fenton, the young lovers swerving around parental obstacles, are a delightful throwback to those gaga California kids from the age of “Gidget.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

He added: "It's getting to the stage now where it could become a safety issue because of people swerving potholes."

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Images circulating on social media showed the truck performing a wheelie before swerving off the track and crashing into the barriers separating the public from the track.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

I couldn’t say it was thrilling, how he jumped on that board thing and rolled down the hill, twisting the T left and right and then swerving it around.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• deflect
• lurch
• skid
• stray
• veer