lurch

Meaning

Noun

A sudden or unsteady movement.

Verb

To make such a sudden, unsteady movement.

Verb

To swallow or eat greedily; to devour; hence, to swallow up.

Verb

1. (dialectal, intransitive) To evade by stooping; to lurk; lie in wait; go about in a sneaking way.
2. (dialectal, intransitive) To take by surprise; to unexpectedly detain.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To rob.

Verb

1. (transitive) To defeat in the game of cribbage with a lurch (double score as explained under noun entry).
2. (obsolete, transitive) To leave someone in the lurch; to cheat.

Synonyms

stagger

reel

totter

sway

careen

pitch

teeter

swag

stumble

lunge

keel

roll

falter

be disposed to

list

incline toward

decline

rush

trend toward

be prone to

shift

skunk

🦨

sink

slant

flounder

tilt

tip

pitching

lean

leaning

wane

predicament

go down

prowl

wobble

whacking

whipping

heel over

rout out

swoop down

whap

trace a zigzag course

flip tail

heed over

seel

beating

lounge around

boggle

charge

dash

💨

Translations

taumeln

barcollare

tituber

τρικλίζω

schlingern

faire une embardée

αμηχανία

sendelemek

torkeln

tambalearse

sacudida

παραπάτημα

difficoltà

vacil·lar

trontollar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/lɝt͡ʃ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: lorchen

Inherited from Middle English: *lurche

Cognate with English: lirt

In summary

Originally a nautical term, found in lee-larches (“the sudden and violent rolls of a ship to the leeward in high seas”), of unknown origin. Possibly the same as lurch (“to move stealthily, evade by stooping”) (see below), or from French lâcher (“to let go”).