Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: sweorfan 'to wipe, put away'

swerve

 verb
     
swerve [intransitive]
1 to make a sudden sideways movement while moving forwards, usually in order to avoid hitting something
swerve violently/sharply
The car swerved sharply to avoid the dog.
swerve across/off/into etc
The bus swerved off the road.
2 [usually in negatives] formal to change from an idea, course of action, purpose etc
swerve from
He would never swerve from the truth.
—swerve noun [countable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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