lurch

/lərtʃ/

/lətʃ/

Other forms: lurched; lurching; lurches

To lurch is to suddenly move — usually forward. If you are on a ship that lurches a lot during a storm, you may find your body lurching in one direction and your stomach going in the opposite one.

The verb lurch can refer to any abrupt movement, but it often has the sense of a sharp turn up, down, or sideways. If you invest in the stock market, you have to be prepared for sudden losses and gains as the stock market can lurch up or down on a whim. The verb also means to make sudden jerking movements when walking, as if you cannot control your movements.

Definitions of lurch

1. verb

   walk as if unable to control one's movements
   synonyms: careen, keel, reel, stagger, swag

   type of:

   walk

   use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
2. verb

   move haltingly and unsteadily
   “The truck lurched down the road”

   type of:

   go, locomote, move, travel

   change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
3. verb

   loiter about, with no apparent aim
   synonyms: prowl

   type of:

   footle, hang around, lallygag, linger, loaf, loiter, lollygag, lounge, lurk, mess about, mill about, mill around, tarry

   be about
4. noun

   an unsteady uneven gait
   synonyms: stagger, stumble

   type of:

   gait

   a person's manner of walking
5. noun

   abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance)
   synonyms: pitch, pitching

   types:

   careen, rock, sway, tilt

   pitching dangerously to one side

   type of:

   motility, motion, move, movement

   a change of position that does not entail a change of location
6. verb

   move abruptly
   “The ship suddenly lurched to the left”

   synonyms: pitch, shift

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
7. noun

   the act of moving forward suddenly
   synonyms: lunge

   type of:

   motion, move, movement

   the act of changing location from one place to another
8. noun

   a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage)
   type of:

   defeat, licking

   an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
9. verb

   defeat by a lurch
   synonyms: skunk

   type of:

   defeat, get the better of, overcome

   win a victory over