• (America) enPR: lûrch, IPA: /lɝt͡ʃ/

lurch (plural lurches)

1. A sudden or unsteady movement.

   the lurch of a ship, or of a drunkard

   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, Moonfleet Chapter 4

     Yet I hoped by grouting at the earth below it to be able to dislodge the stone at the side; but while I was considering how best to begin, the candle flickered, the wick gave a sudden lurch to one side, and I was left in darkness.

• French: embardée
• German: Schlingern (unsteady), Ruck
• Italian: barcollio, sbilanciamento, imbardata
• Russian: рыво́к
• Spanish: bandazo

lurch (lurches, present participle lurching; past and past participle lurched)

1. To make such a sudden, unsteady movement.

• French: faire une embardée
• German: taumeln, schlingern, torkeln, ruckeln
• Italian: barcollare
• Russian: пошатываться
• Spanish: tambalearse

lurch (lurches, present participle lurching; past and past participle lurched)

1. (obsolete) To swallow or eat greedily; to devour; hence, to swallow up.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Building

     Too far off from great cities, which may hinder business; too near them, which lurcheth all provisions, and maketh everything dear.

lurch

1. An old game played with dice and counters; a variety of the game of tables.
2. A double score in cribbage for the winner when his/her adversary has been left in the lurch.

   • Lady Blandford has cried her eyes out on losing a lurch.

lurch (lurches, present participle lurching; past and past participle lurched)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To leave someone in the lurch; to cheat.

   • Never deceive or lurch the sincere communicant.

2. (obsolete, intransitive) To rob.
   • c. 1608–1609, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene ii]:

     And in the brunt of seventeen battles since / He lurched all swords of the garland.

3. (obsolete, intransitive) To evade by stooping; to lurk.