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View synonyms for

swerve

[swurv]

verb (used without object)

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



verb (used with object)

swerved, swerving 
  1. to cause to turn aside.

    Nothing could swerve him.

noun

  1. an act of swerving; turning aside.

swerve

/ ɜː /

verb

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

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

“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

noun

  1. the act, instance, or degree of swerving

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • unswerved adjective
  • unswerving adjective
  • unswervingly adverb
  • unswervingness noun
  • ˈɱ noun
  • ˈɱ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of swerve1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of swerve1

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

See deviate.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The tone swerve into body-count humor and the nuts and bolts of violence eventually prove too much for Crano and Craig to effectively mold into a comedy of perception and privilege.

From

In the coming weeks you'll hear government sources boast about the importance of this Spending Review and say it's disgraceful that the Conservatives swerved doing full audits for years.

From

The digital avenues at our disposal are littered with roadblocks, and all the swerving that average audiences do keeps them from the films and television they want to watch.

From

Wayne had been on his way to his job as a forklift driver in the city centre when Calocane deliberately swerved across the road and drove into the back of him.

From

Real needed a goal, on came Ronaldo, and he won a penalty with a trademark body swerve.

From

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