What's the difference between swerve and veer?

Swerve


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To stray; to wander; to rope.
  • (v. i.) To go out of a straight line; to deflect.
  • (v. i.) To wander from any line prescribed, or from a rule or duty; to depart from what is established by law, duty, custom, or the like; to deviate.
  • (v. i.) To bend; to incline.
  • (v. i.) To climb or move upward by winding or turning.
  • (v. t.) To turn aside.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Once in the mountains, we were immediately careering along slivers of swerving tarmac under a crystal-blue sky.
  • (2) Clearly underwhelmed, Pochettino's haste to board Southampton's flight south was such that he swerved post-match media duties.
  • (3) For US allies, trying to follow Washington’s lead over the past four months has been akin to trying to drive in convoy behind a car swerving violently at high speed, as the competing factions inside lunge for the steering wheel.
  • (4) Unusual to see one around here until just recently.” More deer vaulted in front of my car on Yubari’s main street the following day, forcing a swerve.
  • (5) Booed off at the interval, Sunderland began the second half by watching a shot from Stephen Gleeson, the visiting captain, swerve fractionally wide.
  • (6) Politicians of all parties have swerved this way and that.
  • (7) Due to oncoming traffic he couldn’t and swerved in towards me and my child on a bike seat.
  • (8) Swerving sanctions … and Swiss lawyers The Panama Papers help explain how people close to Putin became enriched.
  • (9) But by exaggerating the point, Parker swerves around another truth – that the UK's intelligence agencies are already scooping up more material than ever before, and GCHQ has an ambition to go further.
  • (10) Chris – lassoed from a parallel universe where Tom Cruise gave Hollywood a swerve to focus on taking his guitar-alt-musings to open mic spots instead – looks on, coldly dissecting technique and cutting to seduction tips.
  • (11) 8.23pm BST 38 min: Right on cue, Lampard becomes a positive presence for Chelsea, receiving the ball 25 yards from goal and unleashing a viciously swerving shot that forced Artur to produce a magnificent one-handed save!
  • (12) I’m waiting to hear what he says about Joshua because I have a feeling he’ll swerve him too.
  • (13) 45 min: The half concludes with a fine, swerving cross by Belhadj to Djebbour, who, predictably, misses it.
  • (14) Bale won one from Oliver Norwood in the 56th minute and Michael McGovern had to dive to keep out his dipping, swerving shot.
  • (15) 53 min: Internazionale goalkeeper Julio Cesar is pressed in to service, diving low and to his right to save a viciously swerving shot from Lionel Messi.
  • (16) We were able to swerve around the big distributional issues – and indeed the laws of politics – given the supposed end to boom and bust.
  • (17) The deft swerve around the words "dinner party" (these, being aspirational middle class, are presumably non-U in Maude-ian circles) and "meal" (also non-U, though I've no idea why; I'm only aware of this at all because a horrible old Etonian I once met ticked me off when it fell sluttishly from my lips).
  • (18) He turned, stepped away from Xavi and thumped a swerving rocket into the top corner by Pinto's near post.
  • (19) The EgyptAir flight that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea last week did not swerve before it went down, according to senior Egyptian officials, in a sharp contradiction of comments about “sudden swerves” made by the Greek defence minister .
  • (20) In the video, the driver appears to attempt to swerve away from the activist before knocking him to the road.

Veer


Definition:

  • (v. i.) To change direction; to turn; to shift; as, wind veers to the west or north.
  • (v. t.) To direct to a different course; to turn; to wear; as, to veer, or wear, a vessel.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Historically, women have been slightly more Conservative than men, while men have tended to veer more towards Labour.
  • (2) Veering between a patronising video , a vague report and impenetrable financial data does not amount to openness and accountability.
  • (3) It is impossible to trick your mind into veering away from the enormity of what happened in this tiny country in the centre of Africa.
  • (4) Hilda Matheson, the first BBC director of talks in the 1920s, veered culturally towards modernism: she broadcast James Joyce reading from work-in-progress – not at all to the taste of Reith.
  • (5) Spending time with Fred Miller, 93, and his fiancee Joan Emms, 84, veers close to chaperoning lovestruck teens.
  • (6) Donald Trump has reportedly yelled down the telephone at Australia’s prime minister and veered off into rants about China and Nato with French leader François Hollande.
  • (7) John Terry’s opener had been thumped in early, Cesc Fàbregas’s corner veering into the penalty area for the centre-half to rise too easily above Rickie Lambert and plant a header down and beyond Simon Mignolet and Steven Gerrard on the goal-line.
  • (8) But Cameron veered from Libya to adoption, from apprenticeships to gay marriage, and on the economy, from optimism to pessimism.
  • (9) Most of the consultative medical reports, insurance carriers' and claimants', veered on the adversarial and favored the respective interested party.
  • (10) Yet, when the occasion was drifting and demanded a more proactive approach, Hodgson had delayed, contemplated and eventually veered towards caution.
  • (11) The Scotland secretary veered away from this politically explosive option in his Commons statement.
  • (12) The car continued to travel after passing under the truck’s trailer, veered off the road, and then crashed through two fences and into a power pole, the local police report said.
  • (13) Biden’s much-anticipated appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert veered almost immediately into raw and personal territory.
  • (14) Copé, 48, has portrayed himself as Sarkozy's natural successor, and veered to the right, picking up populist themes including "anti-white racism".
  • (15) He died an accidental death by drowning at age 34 when his wheelchair veered suddenly into a pond eight feet deep.
  • (16) Johnson is the master-builder of that image, deflecting every lie, every gaffe, dishonesty and U-turn with some self-deprecating metaphor: calling his feigned indecision “veering all over the place like a shopping trolley” was worth a world of worthy platitudes.
  • (17) We stand ready to assist.” The UN said there were unconfirmed reports of 44 deaths in Vanuatu’s north-eastern islands after Pam veered from its expected track.
  • (18) But squad car video released last week showed that McDonald veered away from officers as he walked quickly down a four-lane road before he was shot 16 times in October 2014.
  • (19) The car glides through rolling hills; the camera shows the expression on the boy's face turning from delight to terror; the vehicle veers haphazardly to the side of the road and Théophile is seen leaping out, running to the nearest house for help.
  • (20) The government is veering towards chaotic process and open insurrection, with angry confusion and divisions in the cabinet and the leadership group about strategy and direction.