lurch
1an act or instance of swaying abruptly.
an awkward, swaying or staggering motion or gait.
a sudden tip or roll to one side, as of a ship or a staggering person.
to make a lurch; move with lurches; stagger: The wounded man lurched across the room.
(of a ship) to roll or pitch suddenly.
Origin of lurch
1Other words for lurch
Other words from lurch
- lurch·ing·ly, adverb
Other definitions for lurch (2 of 3)
a situation at the close of various games in which the loser scores nothing or is far behind the opponent.
Origin of lurch
2Other definitions for lurch (3 of 3)
British Dialect. to lurk near a place; prowl.
Archaic. to do out of; defraud; cheat.
Obsolete. to acquire through underhanded means; steal; filch.
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. 2024
How to use lurch in a sentence
It’s shocking that parents are basically being completely left in the lurch by their government.
New report finds toxic heavy metals in popular baby foods. FDA failed to warn consumers of risk. | Laura Reiley | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostA new expressway threatens to bypass the town and leave livelihoods in the lurch.
Jo Nesbo’s ‘The Kingdom’ is a suspenseful bundle of Norwegian noir that’s almost impossible to put down | Richard Lipez | November 9, 2020 | Washington PostHe also does not see why teachers could not finish the quarter in January before leaving, and worries teachers will be seen as the bad guy leaving students in the lurch.
‘One More Hugely Disruptive Thing’: Teachers to Leave Mid-Year Under Retirement Deal | Ashly McGlone | November 5, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoEarlier this week, Microsoft’s workplace collaboration tool, Teams, suffered an hours-long outage, leaving many in a lurch, unable to connect to colleagues.
We're Online More Than Ever Right Now. Can the Internet Itself Keep Up? | Patrick Lucas Austin | March 27, 2020 | TimeIn 2014 we have suddenly lurched backward to 1937 and the world of Amelia Earhart.
I stammered something about admiring his work and the conversation somehow lurched into motion.
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.
He lurched toward the front door of the shop, stopped half way there, clung to a counter for support.
In the narrow seat behind, Clip lurched, and swayed, and rattled the motor-cycles.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. MatthewsMatt took the cross-road on two wheels, and, half a minute later, lurched into the main thoroughfare in the same way.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. MatthewsThen he lurched in his saddle as from exhaustion or weariness, and straightened himself again with both hands on the bridle.
Winston of the Prairie | Harold BindlossFor a moment he swayed, then lurched forward, his head striking the iron railing, his body falling limp to the floor.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
British Dictionary definitions for lurch (1 of 3)
/ (lɜːtʃ) /
to lean or pitch suddenly to one side
to stagger or sway
the act or an instance of lurching
Origin of lurch
1Derived forms of lurch
- lurching, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for lurch (2 of 3)
/ (lɜːtʃ) /
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)
Origin of lurch
2British Dictionary definitions for lurch (3 of 3)
/ (lɜːtʃ) /
(intr) archaic, or dialect to prowl or steal about suspiciously
Origin of lurch
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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.
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