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.
lurches 1 of 2
verb
1
as in sways
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the room lurched with every jolt of the earthquake Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sways
- rocks
- shakes
- careens
- wobbles
- tosses
- halts
- rolls
- jerks
- vibrates
- tumbles
- falters
- staggers
- seesaws
- stumbles
- vacillates
- totters
- waddles
- flounders
- jolts
- teeters
- wavers
- hobbles
- toddles
- wabbles
- undulates
- oscillates
- weaves
- dodders
- blunders
- reels
- pitches
- hitches
- waggles
- bucks
- wags
2
as in staggers
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
- staggers
- shuffles
- stumbles
- totters
- waddles
- careens
- weaves
- stomps
- teeters
- rolls
- dodders
- sways
- reels
- wobbles
- rocks
- wavers
- flounders
- seesaws
- shambles
- clomps
- lumbers
- barges
- blunders
- swags
- clumps
- scuffles
- wabbles
- lumps
- pounds
- tromps
- tramps
- scuffs
- stamps
- galumphs
lurches
2 of 2noun
as in collapses
Synonyms & Similar Words
- collapses
- washouts
- whitewashes
- flops
- upsets
- fizzles
- setbacks
- debacles
- fiascoes
- shutouts
- failures
- overthrows
- débâcles
- defeats
- drubbings
- nonsuccesses
- routs
- lickings
- trimmings
- beatings
- whippings
- plasterings
- shellackings
- losses
- lumps
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- wins
- triumphs
- victories
- successes
- sweeps
- accomplishments
- achievements
- landslides
- runaways
- blowouts
- romps
- cakewalks
- walkaways
- walkovers
- ards's indicator
- arduinite
- arduous
- arduouser
- arduousest
- arduouslier
- arduousliest
- arduously
- arduousness
- arduousnesses
- arduousser
- arduoussest
- are
- are head and shoulders above
- are one jump ahead
- are you kidding
- are you kidding (me)
- are you kidding me
- are/keep/stay one jump ahead
- area
- area amniotica
- area bombing
- area centralis
- area code
- area linguistics