swerve

Everyday

1. To swerve is to change direction suddenly, especially to avoid hitting something: the car swerved to miss the dog. tree →
2. A swerve is a sudden change of direction. tree →
3. (UK, slang) To swerve something is to avoid it on purpose: I swerved that party. tree →

In the lessons

In road safety lessons, cars and bikes may swerve, so look carefully before crossing. In sports, a ball can swerve in the air; a player swerves past a defender. In stories it shows sudden danger. Phrases: swerve to avoid, swerve off the road, make a swerve.

Examples

• The bus swerved to avoid a fallen tree. tree →
• The cyclist swerved and nearly fell off. tree →
• His free kick swerved into the top corner of the goal. tree →
• She swerved past two defenders and scored. tree →
• The car made a sudden swerve. tree →
• Never run into the road: a driver may not be able to swerve in time. tree →
• I'm going to swerve the maths club today, said Leo (slang). tree →

Note

Regular verb: swerved, swerving. Similar words: veer, turn sharply, dodge. The slang meaning «avoid» is UK teenage talk, not used in formal writing.