Link Centre Dictionary

swerve

UK/swɜːv/ US/swɝv/ uncommon archaic slang
verb (1) noun (2)

verb

1.

turn sharply; change direction abruptly

  • “The car cut to the left at the intersection”
  • “The motorbike veered to the right”
Synonyms

noun

1.
2.

an erratic deflection from an intended course

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English swerven, swarven, from Old English sweorfan (“to file; rub; polish; scour; turn aside”), from Proto-Germanic *swerbaną (“to rub off; wipe; mop”), from Proto-Indo-European *swerbʰ- (“to turn; wipe; sweep”). Cognate with West Frisian swerve (“to wander; roam; swerve”), Dutch zwerven (“to wander; stray; roam”), Low German swarven (“to swerve; wander; riot”), Swedish dialectal svärva (“to wipe”), Icelandic sverfa (“to file”).

Phrases

  • body swerve

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.