swerve

swerve away (from someone or something)

1. To turn or veer abruptly aside in order to avoid collision or interaction (with someone or something). I managed to swerve away from the oncoming truck at the last moment. The motorcyclist was bearing down on her but swerved away before hitting her. I swerved away from the bar when I noticed the creepy guy staring at me.
2. To avoid or evade (someone or something) by abruptly changing one's plans or intentions. We swerved away from the merger after we realized how badly it would impact our employees. I've really started swerving away from people who bring nothing but toxic negativity to the table.
See also: away, someone, swerve

swerve into (from someone or something)

1. To collide with someone or something after turning or veering quickly, sharply, or abruptly to one side. I turned the corner and swerved into the principal, knocking her briefcase right out of his hands. The car lost control and swerved into a lamppost.
2. To enter into something after turning or veering quickly, sharply, or abruptly to one side. The truck swerved into my lane to avoid hitting the pedestrian on the road. I swerved into a side alley to avoid the police.
3. To become involved with or begin working in some different field, industry, area of expertise, etc., especially very suddenly or abruptly. I actually started out as a family photographer, but I swerved into doing headshots after getting into a conversation with a couple of actors at a party a couple years back. The heavy metal band started swerving into a more pop-rock sound in the early 2000s.
See also: someone, swerve
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

swerve (away) (from someone or something)

to turn sharply away from someone or something. The car swerved away from Carla just in time. It swerved away just in time.

swerve into someone or something

to turn sharply and directly into someone or something. (Usually an accident.) The car almost swerved into a pedestrian. The bus swerved into a truck.
See also: swerve
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • swerve away (from someone or something)
  • veer
  • veer away from (someone or something)
  • veer off
  • veer off (of) (something)
  • abortive action
  • escape fire
  • veer toward
  • veer toward (someone or something)
  • veer into (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
SWERVE's mission is to "Change the Way People Drive" and their graduates have statistically been proven to be safer drivers than those from other driving schools.
Xyleme LCMS Allows Small and Medium Businesses to Deploy Full Spectrum of Training Materials
In Swerve, one cherry bomb falls at the feet of the legendary TV interviewer Barbara Walters and the whole crew at ABC's The View, which Tyler says is sometimes as backwards as a tour bus barreling in reverse.
Conversations with a post modern sister: actress-comedian Aisha Tyler is distinctive among celebrtiy authors: she wrote her own book proposal and her own book!
Eventually, the driver swerves round a white van and blasts up a slip road towards Newton Mearns.
WRONG-WAY NUT WAVED AS HE HIT 80mph; THREE MILES OF TERROR ON BUSY ROAD Drivers forced to swerve to avoid horrifying smash
Many fans are too young to remember Brazil in their pomp when their free-kick specialists could dip, swerve and power shots into the top corners using a ball that could best be described as a puddin'.
Cup stars should be made to train with a Frido ball
'He made a deliberate effort, and if his colleague had not thrown his baton at him and the car, forcing the driver to swerve, I am in no doubt this would have been far more serious and we could even be looking at a fatality.
Car thief drives at injured Pc
Liz Hindmarsh said her husband had to swerve into the middle lane otherwise he would have been hit.
Hurtling wrong way down M40.. [...]; Three killed in smash after 5-mile terror
Two wins each from Martin Rutter, Sam Bailey and Andy Wilson, with Rutter and Wilson winning the doubles, gave the seven wins needed for a Swerve victory.
Ormesby close in on title; defeat hits rivals' hopes
On tracing him, the car was seen to swerve into the oncoming carriageway and back.
One hand on the wheel, the other on bottle of rum; Drink-driver banned for 10 years
Lee Haswell (left) and Ian Downie who had to swerve to avoid a huge falling tree as they were driving down the London Road in Whitley.
Pair left shaken after lucky escape; STORM CHAOS
A 20-YEAR-OLD man from Marshfield, near Cardiff, has been bound over in the sum of pounds 200 for 12 months after making racial gestures at a taxi driver who had to swerve to avoid him in Cardiff City Centre.
Man bound to keep the peace
MUMBLE SWERVE, an emphatic winner of the Rose Bowl over course and distance just a fortnight ago, looks a must for any ante-post portfolio at the 5-1 with Chandler for the Essex Vase (575 metres), which starts at Romford tonight.
Greyhounds: Pricewise: Mumble a must at 5s for Essex
Results: Division One: Beaumont Acc Nomads B 6 (Dring 3 Pearson 1 Baines 3) Beaumont Acc Nomads C 4 (Langley 2 Plummer 1); Beaumont Acc Nomads A 10 (Walpole 3 Cooper 3 Scope 3) Ormesby B 0; Nunthorpe A 8 (Williams 3 Burge 2 Webster 2) Nunthorpe B 2 (Kearney 2); Ormesby C 6 (Robinson 3 Savage 1 Noutch 2) Ormesby D 4 (Edwards 2 Nassau 1); Swerve A 7 (Wardell 1 Dobinson 2 Ward 3) Swerve C 3 (Bailey 2 Wilson 1); Ormesby A 10 (Gofton 3 Jack Cope 3 Joe Cope 3) Swerve B 0.
Cleveland are closing in on division title
Michelle Bowie, who was travelling behind the Kia, said she saw it swerve to avoid the car parking quickly.
Girl died after mum crashed into tree
The Arriva M55 service was travelling on Station Road in Forest Hall, Newcastle at 10.30am yesterday when it had to brake sharply and swerve to avoid a red Rover car.
Passenger hurt
From the A4100, he took the exit sliproad onto the M40 and drove on the hard shoulder and in one of the traffic lanes, causing numerous vehicles to swerve.
Girl, 14, in banned driver's road dash; POLICE PURSUIT ENDED WITH JEEP FLIPPING ON M40 AND TEENAGER HURT