swerve
Use Swerve in a sentence
verb (used without object)
1.
to turn aside abruptly in movement or direction; deviate suddenly from the straight or direct course.
verb (used with object)
2.
to cause to turn aside: Nothing could swerve him.
noun
3.
an act of swerving; turning aside.
Origin:
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
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 forms
un·swerved, adjective
un·swerv·ing, adjective
un·swerv·ing·ly, adverb
un·swerv·ing·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To swerve
Collins
World English Dictionary
swerve (swɜːv) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to turn or cause to turn aside, usually sharply or suddenly, from a course |
| 2. | (tr) to avoid (a person or event) |
| —n | |
| 3. | the act, instance, or degree of swerving |
| [Old English sweorfan to scour; related to Old High German swerban to wipe off, Gothic afswairban to wipe off, Old Norse sverfa to file] | |
| 'swervable | |
| —adj | |
| 'swerver | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Swerve
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
swerve
early 13c., "to depart, make off;" early 14c., "to turn aside, deviate from a straight course," probably from O.E. sweorfan "to rub, scour, file" (but sense development is difficult to trace), from P.Gmc. *swerbanan (cf O.N. sverfa "to scour, file," O.S. swebran "to wipe off"), from PIE base *swerbh-.
Cognate words in other Germanic languages (cf. O.Fris. swerva "to creep," M.Du. swerven "to rove, stray") suggests the sense of "go off, turn aside" may have existed in O.E., though unrecorded. The noun is recorded from 1741.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Buses swerve in and out of traffic, creating hazards for other street users, including motorists.
Books about escapism and gaming too often swerve into cautionary tale territory.
How to grip a two-seam fastball, or make a scuffed ball swerve and dive.
At the last second, my driver would swerve back into the proper lane.
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