swerve

[ swurv ]
See synonyms for swerve on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),swerved, swerv·ing.
  1. to turn aside abruptly in movement or direction; deviate suddenly from the straight or direct course.

verb (used with object),swerved, swerv·ing.
  1. to cause to turn aside: Nothing could swerve him.

noun
  1. an act of swerving; turning aside.

Origin of swerve

1
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

synonym study For swerve

1. See deviate.

Other words from swerve

  • 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 Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use swerve in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for swerve

swerve

/ (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)

noun
  1. the act, instance, or degree of swerving

Origin of swerve

1
Old English sweorfan to scour; related to Old High German swerban to wipe off, Gothic afswairban to wipe off, Old Norse sverfa to file

Derived forms of swerve

  • swervable, adjective
  • swerver, noun

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