1
as in to lurch
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the sled careened as it barreled down the hill
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2
as in to stagger
to move forward while swaying from side to side
he careened unsteadily to the couch after hitting his head
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to scurry
to proceed or move quickly
sounding its siren, an ambulance careened through the intersection
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of careen
The car careened off the highway, hit and crossed a central barrier, collided with a tree, and burst into flames.
—
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
All teams careening toward, at best, exhibition bowl season.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 22 Oct. 2025
Eyewitnesses reported seeing one of the railway’s two cars derailing and careening down the street before hitting a building.
—Angélica Franganillo Díaz, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Hours later, the vessel careened into a nearby bridge, ejecting 19-year-old Mallory Beach into the dark water.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for careen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careen
Verb
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This can result in a kind of emotional whiplash, with the tone of the videos lurching between joy and devastation.—
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Perry’s films can lurch from romance to madcap Madea comedy to skeletons-in-the-closet family drama and back…all in the space of 20 minutes.—
Verb
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The Bills had a pretty cushy road schedule this year, playing once outside the Eastern time zone, yet staggered around early.—
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The Packers staggered to the finish with a four-game losing streak but will have quarterback Jordan Love (concussion) back.—
Verb
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The man who once ignored his own safety to scurry out onto a frozen pond, crashing through the ice to rescue my yellow lab.—
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If seeing one scurrying through your living room sends you scrambling for a quick remedy, your instincts are on track.—
Verb
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Her efforts have thus far not swayed the Senate, which has chosen instead to advance two alternative tax relief bills introduced by state Sens.—
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Long, swaying motion was widely reported, with additional aftershocks continuing through late morning.—
Verb
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An hour later, for its first concert since the fires, parishioners sat in awe as Grammy Award winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers weaved her bow across her violin, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach echoing through the church.—
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Culturally, 2026 is the year cannabis truly weaves into everyday life.—
Verb
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His arm was pinned into the back window of a car as a suspect sped away, dragging him across the pavement for about 100 yards, according to court documents.—
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By speeding up the transit time of your stomach contents, fiber may reduce the amount of time that stomach acid can irritate your esophagus, Dilley added.—
Verb
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Harbaugh is now the top coach on a market rocked by his availability.—
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After rocking her signature long locks for years, the Ocean's Eight actress went for the big chop this fall and is now sporting a lob.—
Verb
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Rafiq thanked the shopkeeper and hurried out of the bazaar’s maze-like structure to find his car.—
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Caracas, Venezuela — The morning after US forces bombed Caracas, dragged President Nicolás Maduro out of bed, carted him over the Caribbean and installed him in a Brooklyn jail, many Venezuelans hurried to the grocery store.—
Cite this Entry
“Careen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careen. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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