lurch
/lə:tʃ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A sudden, uncontrolled movement: An abrupt, often jerky motion forward or to the side.
- A staggering or unsteady gait: A way of walking that is unstable and uneven.
- A sudden tilt or roll: An abrupt leaning or swaying motion, especially of a vehicle or ship.
Verb:
- To make a sudden, uncontrolled movement: To move in an abrupt, jerking, or unsteady manner.
- To stagger or sway unsteadily: To walk or move with a loss of balance or control.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The bus started with a violent lurch, throwing the standing passengers off balance.
- He walked with a pronounced lurch due to his injured leg.
Verb:
- The car lurched forward when the driver released the clutch too quickly.
- The exhausted hiker lurched toward the finish line.
Advanced Usage
- "to leave someone in the lurch": To abandon someone in a difficult situation without help or support.
- He promised to help, but he left me in the lurch when I needed him most.
Variants and Related Words
- Lurching (adj/gerund): Describing or constituting a lurching motion.
- The lurching motion of the boat made many passengers seasick.
Synonyms
- Noun: Jerk, stagger, tilt, roll, sway.
- Verb: Stagger, stumble, reel, sway, jerk, roll, pitch.
Related Phrasal Verbs
(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed as a standalone verb.)
Related Idioms
- Leave someone in the lurch: As defined in 'Advanced Usage' above.
Noun
- the act of moving forward suddenly
- abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance)
- the pitching and tossing was quite exciting
- a decisive defeat in a game (especially in cribbage)
- an unsteady uneven gait
Verb
- defeat by a lurch
- loiter about, with no apparent aim
- move slowly and unsteadily
- The truck lurched down the road
- move abruptly
- The ship suddenly lurched to the left
- walk as if unable to control one's movements
- The drunken man staggered into the room