lurched
Moved off-balance
Lurched is the past tense of lurch, meaning to make a sudden unsteady movement.
A person lurches when they stagger or stumble: He lurched toward the door.
Vehicles lurch when they jerk forward or sideways: The bus lurched to a stop.
The word suggests loss of balance or control, whether physical or figurative: The company lurched from one crisis to the next.
Lose footing momentarily
- totterMove unsteadily, nearly falling
- teeterSway without stability
- wobbleUnsteady side-to-side motion
- reelWinding cylinder or dance
falter · sway · shamble · careen · pitch · rock · stagger · unsteady
Mildly sick to stomach
- stomachDigestive organ below chest
- seasickIll from ocean motion
- woozyDizzy and confused
- biliousIll-tempered or nauseated
nauseated · sick · green · gag · heave · retch · queasiness · motion sickness
Abrupt directional change
- skidUncontrolled lateral slide
- brakesDevices for stopping motion
- collisionForceful contact between objects
- whiplashNeck injury from jerking
screech · fishtail · rear-end · hydroplane · jackknife · veer · overcorrect · spinout
stumble
Lose footing momentarily
reel · falter · sway · shamble · careen · pitch · rock · stagger · unsteady · off-balance
queasy
Mildly sick to stomach
bilious · nauseated · sick · green · gag · heave · retch · queasiness · motion sickness · carsick
swerve
Abrupt directional change
- skidUncontrolled lateral slide
- brakesDevices for stopping motion
- collisionForceful contact between objects
whiplash · screech · fishtail · rear-end · hydroplane · jackknife · veer · overcorrect · spinout · pothole
jolt
Abrupt forceful shake
spring · thrust · catapult · vault · dart · leap · pounce · spurt · abrupt · unexpected
tilt
Angular deviation from level
pitch · sway · tip · keel · roll · slant · uneven · off-kilter · askew · destabilize
- left in the lurchAbandoned in difficulty
- leave someone in the lurchDesert in difficulty
- leave in the lurch