lurch
Jerk to one side
Lurch is a sudden unsteady movement—a stagger or stumble to one side: The bus lurched and I grabbed the rail.
Ships lurch in rough seas; drunk people lurch down sidewalks.
To leave someone in the lurch is to abandon them in a difficult situation.
A separate lurch is a decisive defeat in cribbage, when one player scores before the other reaches halfway.
Move unsteadily, nearly falling
- wobbleUnsteady side-to-side motion
- stumbleLose footing momentarily
- teeterSway without stability
- swayRock back and forth
reel · careen · falter · shamble · lope · limp · shuffle · flounder
Abrupt forceful shake
- jerkAbrupt pulling motion
- heaveForceful lift or throw
- lungeSudden forward movement
- buckMale deer or dollar
start · spasm · convulse · shudder · judder · jar · bounce · bump
Rotational side deviation
Tendency toward unpredictable change
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- precariousDangerously insecure
- shakyTrembling or unstable
- wobblyTending to teeter
teetering · tilting · swaying · rocking · tottering · unstable · off-balance · wavering
Left without means to leave
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- helplessUnable to act independently
- leftDeparted or portside
ditched · high and dry · marooned · stuck · adrift · alone · unsupported · vulnerable
totter
Move unsteadily, nearly falling
sway · reel · careen · falter · shamble · lope · limp · shuffle · flounder · dodder
jolt
Abrupt forceful shake
buck · start · spasm · convulse · shudder · judder · jar · bounce · bump · jostle
yaw
Rotational side deviation
list · capsize · heel · tack · swell · deck · helm · rudder · bow · stern
instability
Tendency toward unpredictable change
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- precariousDangerously insecure
- shakyTrembling or unstable
wobbly · teetering · tilting · swaying · rocking · tottering · unstable · off-balance · wavering · listing
stranded
Left without means to leave
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- forsakenCompletely abandoned or discarded
- helplessUnable to act independently
left · ditched · high and dry · marooned · stuck · adrift · alone · unsupported · vulnerable · exposed
- movementwalk, move, go, run, jump
- clumsinessclumsiness, clumsy, awkwardness, fumble, stumble
- downward motionsfall, drop, descend, plunge, sink
- motion changesacceleration, deceleration, speeding up, slowing down, speedup
- movementsmove, step, turn, shift, slide
- sudden shiftsjolt, swerve, snap decision, u-turn, about-face
lurchsteady
Fixed, not fluctuating
stabilize · balance · hold steady · stand firm · straighten
lurchstand by
Remain ready to assist
support · rescue · stick with · come through · back up
- left in the lurchAbandoned in difficulty
- leave someone in the lurchDesert in difficulty
- leave in the lurch