{i} staggering, swaying, unsteady motion; sudden sideways movement, abrupt rolling or pitching to one side; defeat in which the winner's score is much greater than the loser's (especially in cribbage)
If someone leaves you in the lurch, they go away or stop helping you at a very difficult time. You wouldn't leave an old friend in the lurch, surely?. In a difficult or embarrassing position
To lurch means to make a sudden movement, especially forwards, in an uncontrolled way. As the car sped over a pothole she lurched forward Henry looked, stared, and lurched to his feet Lurch is also a noun. The car took a lurch forward but grounded in a deep rut
disapproval If you say that a person or organization lurches from one thing to another, you mean they move suddenly from one course of action or attitude to another in an uncontrolled way. The state government has lurched from one budget crisis to another The first round of multilateral trade talks has lurched between hope and despair. Lurch is also a noun. The property sector was another casualty of the lurch towards higher interest rates
A sudden roll of a ship to one side, as in heavy weather; hence, a swaying or staggering movement to one side, as that by a drunken man
an unsteady uneven gait the act of moving forward suddenly abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance); "the pitching and tossing was quite exciting"