Meanings
lurch1
plural lurches
- A sudden or unsteady movement.
the lurch of a ship, or of a drunkard
2 more examples
The ship was driving rapidly towards the rocky coast, against which she must have been dashed to pieces had she kept afloat a few minutes longer, but she gave a lurch and went down, rose again for an instant, and with another lurch sank, and all was over,—and there were nearly two hundred and fifty human beings struggling with the waves.
1850, William O. S. Gilly, “The Tribune”, in Narratives of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy […] , London: John W. ParkerYet I hoped by grouting at the earth below it to be able to dislodge the stone at the side; but while I was considering how best to begin, the candle flickered, the wick gave a sudden lurch to one side, and I was left in darkness.
[1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC
present singular third person lurches · participle present lurching · participle past lurched · past lurched
- To make such a sudden, unsteady movement.
Number One lurched forward, his arms outstretched toward the horror stricken girl.
1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 3, in The Monster Men, published 19293 more examples
It occurred to me there was no time to lose, and dodging the boom as it once more lurched across the deck, I slipped aft and down the companion stairs into the cabin.
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “I Strike the Jolly Roger”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLCThe incident made it think, apparently, that the neighborhood was dangerous, for it slowly lurched off through the wood, followed by its mate and its three enormous infants.
1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLCHe was looking for trouble. He lurched against a table at which three soldiers were sitting and knocked over a glass of beer.
1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter XLVII, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC
lurch2
present singular third person lurches · participle present lurching · participle past lurched · past lurched
- obsoleteTo swallow or eat greedily; to devour; hence, to swallow up.
Too far off from great cities, which may hinder business; too near them, which lurcheth all provisions, and maketh everything dear.
1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC
lurch3
present singular third person lurches · participle present lurching · participle past lurched · past lurched · alternative lorch
- dialectalintransitiveTo evade by stooping; to lurk; lie in wait; go about in a sneaking way.
- dialectalintransitiveTo take by surprise; to unexpectedly detain.
- obsoletetransitiveTo rob.
And in the brunt of seventeen battles since / He lurched all swords of the garland.
c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]
lurch4
present singular third person lurches · participle present lurching · participle past lurched · past lurched
- transitiveTo defeat in the game of cribbage with a lurch (double score as explained under noun entry).
- obsoletetransitiveTo leave someone in the lurch; to cheat.
Never deceive or lurch the sincere communicant.
1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London
Synonyms & antonyms
nounabrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
lurch · noun, verb
- Frenchlâcher“to let go”
- Englishlurch
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”).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →lurch · verb
- Latinlurcō“eat greedily, guzzle”
- Old French*lurcher
- Middle English*lurchen
- Englishlurch
From Middle English *lurchen (recorded only in Middle English lurcare, lurcard (“glutton”)), from Old French *lurcher, from Latin lurcō (“eat greedily, guzzle”), of uncertain origin. Compare Middle High German slurken (“to slurp”) (whence German schlurken).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →lurch · verb, noun
- Middle Englishlurken“to lurk”
- Middle Englishlorchen
- Englishlurch
From Middle English lorchen, variant of Middle English lurken (“to lurk”). More at lurk.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →lurch · noun, verb
- Proto-West Germanic*lort“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”
- Old Frenchlourche“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”
- Middle English*lurche
- Englishlurch
From Middle English *lurche (implied in derivative lurching), from Old French lourche (“deceived, embarrassed; also the name of a game”), from Proto-West Germanic *lort (“left; left-handed; crooked; bent; warped; underhanded; deceitful; limping”). Cognate to English lirt.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian клатушкане, накланям се
- клатушкане (klatuškane)sudden or unsteady movement
- накланям се (naklanjam se)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
- клатушкам се (klatuškam se)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
Chinese Mandarin 踉跄
- 踉跄 (liàngqiàng)sudden or unsteady movement
Czech výkyv, zavrávorání
- výkyvsudden or unsteady movement
- zavrávoránísudden or unsteady movement
- zakymácení sesudden or unsteady movement
- cuknutísudden or unsteady movement
- zavrávoratto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- zakymácet seto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- trhnout sebouto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- zmítat seto make a sudden, unsteady movement
Dutch hobbelen, slingeren
- hobbelensudden or unsteady movement
- slingerensudden or unsteady movement
Esperanto malfacila situacio
- malfacila situaciodifficult situation
Finnish horjua
- horjuato make a sudden, unsteady movement
French embardée, chanceler
- embardéesudden or unsteady movement
- chancelerto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- faire une embardéeto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- tituberto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- vacillerto make a sudden, unsteady movement
German Schlingern, Ruck
- Schlingernsudden or unsteady movement
- Rucksudden or unsteady movement
- taumelnto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- schlingernto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- torkelnto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- ruckelnto make a sudden, unsteady movement
Irish suaitheadh
- suaitheadhsudden or unsteady movement
Italian barcollio, sbilanciamento
- barcolliosudden or unsteady movement
- sbilanciamentosudden or unsteady movement
- imbardatasudden or unsteady movement
- barcollareto make a sudden, unsteady movement
Māori tūpou
- tūpouto make a sudden, unsteady movement
Russian рыво́к, поша́тываться
- рыво́к (ryvók)sudden or unsteady movement
- поша́тываться (pošátyvatʹsja)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
- пошатну́ться (pošatnútʹsja)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
Spanish bandazo, tambalearse
- bandazosudden or unsteady movement
- tambalearseto make a sudden, unsteady movement
- sacudirse (hacia)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
Swedish kränga, vingla
- krängato make a sudden, unsteady movement
- vinglato make a sudden, unsteady movement
Turkish sendelemek
- sendelemekto make a sudden, unsteady movement
Ukrainian похи́туватися, похитну́тися
- похи́туватися (poxýtuvatysja)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
- похитну́тися (poxytnútysja)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
- хита́тися (xytátysja)to make a sudden, unsteady movement
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lurch
Anagrams
Cite this entry
lurch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lurch
“lurch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lurch. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lurch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lurch.
Source: lurch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.