lurch
1 of 5verb (1)
ˈlərch 
lurched; lurching; lurches
intransitive verb
1
: to move with a lurch
suddenly lurched forward
also : stagger
has lurched from crisis to crisis 
Jere Longman
Jere Longman 2
: to roll or tip abruptly : pitch
lurch
2 of 5noun (1)
1
: an abrupt jerking, swaying, or tipping movement
the car moved forward with a lurch
also : stagger sense 2
2
: a sudden roll of a ship to one side
lurch
3 of 5noun (2)
: a decisive defeat in which an opponent wins a game by more than double the defeated player's score especially in cribbage
lurch
4 of 5verb (2)
lurched; lurching; lurches
transitive verb
1
: to defeat by a lurch (as in cribbage)
2
archaic : to leave in the lurch
lurch
5 of 5verb (3)
lurched; lurching; lurches
intransitive verb
dialectal, chiefly England : to loiter about a place furtively : prowl
transitive verb
1
archaic : cheat
2
obsolete : steal
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- careen
- pitch
- rock
- roll
- seesaw
- sway
- toss
- wobble
- wabble
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
origin unknown
Noun (2) and Verb (2)
Middle French lourche, adjective, defeated by a lurch, deceived
Verb (3)
Middle English lorchen, probably alteration of lurken to lurk
First Known Use
Verb (1)
circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun (1)
1805, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun (2)
1598, in the meaning defined above
Verb (2)
circa 1651, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb (3)
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Phrases Containing lurch
Kids Definition
lurch 1 of 2
noun
ˈlərch
: a sudden swaying, tipping, or jerking movement
lurch
2 of 2verb
lurched; lurching
: to move with a sudden swaying, tipping, or jerking motion The boat lurched in rough seas.
lurched
verb
1
as in swayed
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the room lurched with every jolt of the earthquake Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- swayed
- rocked
- shook
- jerked
- careened
- wobbled
- rolled
- tossed
- halted
- seesawed
- faltered
- vibrated
- tumbled
- tottered
- stumbled
- jolted
- floundered
- staggered
- reeled
- waddled
- teetered
- wavered
- hobbled
- vacillated
- bucked
- blundered
- pitched
- weaved
- wabbled
- toddled
- hitched
- doddered
- oscillated
- waggled
- undulated
- wagged
2
as in staggered
to move forward while swaying from side to side dressed in his zombie costume, the boy lurched down the street in his quest for Halloween candy Synonyms & Similar Words
- staggered
- tottered
- careened
- weaved
- stumbled
- stomped
- shuffled
- waddled
- reeled
- teetered
- rolled
- rocked
- swayed
- doddered
- wobbled
- wavered
- seesawed
- shambled
- floundered
- clomped
- blundered
- barged
- pounded
- scuffled
- tramped
- lumbered
- galumphed
- stamped
- swagged
- clumped
- wabbled
- lumped
- scuffed
- tromped
- climbed down
- climber
- climbers
- climbing
- climbing (aboard)
- climbing aboard
- climbing bindweed
- climbing boneset
- climbing buckwheat
- climbing cutworm
- climbing down
- climbing false buckwheat
- climbing fern
- climbing fiber
- climbing fig
- climbing frame
- climbing fumitory
- climbing hardfern
- climbing hempweed
- climbing hydrangea
- climbing iron
- climbing lily
- climbing maidenhair
- climbing milkweed
- climbing nightshade