careen
1 of 2verb
ca·reen kə-ˈrēn 
careened; careening; careens
transitive verb
1
: to put (a ship or boat) on a beach especially in order to clean, caulk, or repair the hull
2
: to cause to heel over
High waves careened the boat.
intransitive verb
1
a
: to clean, caulk, or repair the hull of a boat
b
: to undergo this process
2
: to heel over
3
: to sway from side to side : lurch
a careening carriage being pulled wildly … by a team of runaway horses
J. P. Getty
J. P. Getty4
: career
The car careened down the hill.
careen
2 of 2noun
archaic
: the act or process of careening : the state of being careened
Did you know?
Careen and Career
Some people might be confused by the warning to not confuse careen and career, because the most common sense of career ("a profession") is not much like any of the meanings of careen. But when employed as a verb, career does have some semantic overlap with careen; both words may be used to mean "to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner." A car, for instance, may either careen or career. Some usage guides hold, however, that the car is only careening if there is side-to-side motion, as careen has other meanings related to movement, among which is "to sway from side to side."
Synonyms
Verb
- lurch
- pitch
- rock
- roll
- seesaw
- sway
- toss
- wobble
- wabble
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb the sled careened as it barreled down the hill he careened unsteadily to the couch after hitting his head
Recent Examples on the Web Ginger Adams Otis, WSJ, 6 Aug. 2022 Colorful Mario Kart landscapes careen through the mind’s eye as two adult gamers name-drop their favorite virtual racing courses: Sherbet Land, Choco Mountain, Rainbow Road. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 27 June 2022 These positions are correct but pursuing them will require a delicate mix of diplomacy and plausible threats that do not careen out of control. W. James Antle Iii, The Week, 17 Feb. 2022 Over the years the pack has been known to careen down sidewalks, clog roadways, drive at break-neck speeds, even intentionally veer the wrong way on roads. Eileen Kelley, sun-sentinel.com, 12 Jan. 2022 Video from an Ohio Department of Transportation traffic camera shows a car careen off an Interstate 90 overpass and roll down to West 98th Street, the second incident in three weeks, reports Olivia Mitchell. cleveland, 11 Feb. 2022 His development company, Crestlloyd, filed for bankruptcy last year, forcing the home to careen towards auction as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. Emma Reynolds, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022 The stories careen between doughnut shops and Buddhist temples, and spiritual reincarnation figures into several plotlines. The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2021 Especially when the driver has a stroke, causing the car to careen out of control, rolling near the edge of a cliff. Lincee Ray, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2021 See More
Verb
The water pushed dumpster containers into some of the vehicles, causing the cars to careen into each other, officials said. Ginger Adams Otis, WSJ, 6 Aug. 2022 Colorful Mario Kart landscapes careen through the mind’s eye as two adult gamers name-drop their favorite virtual racing courses: Sherbet Land, Choco Mountain, Rainbow Road. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 27 June 2022 These positions are correct but pursuing them will require a delicate mix of diplomacy and plausible threats that do not careen out of control. W. James Antle Iii, The Week, 17 Feb. 2022 Over the years the pack has been known to careen down sidewalks, clog roadways, drive at break-neck speeds, even intentionally veer the wrong way on roads. Eileen Kelley, sun-sentinel.com, 12 Jan. 2022 Video from an Ohio Department of Transportation traffic camera shows a car careen off an Interstate 90 overpass and roll down to West 98th Street, the second incident in three weeks, reports Olivia Mitchell. cleveland, 11 Feb. 2022 His development company, Crestlloyd, filed for bankruptcy last year, forcing the home to careen towards auction as part of the bankruptcy proceedings. Emma Reynolds, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022 The stories careen between doughnut shops and Buddhist temples, and spiritual reincarnation figures into several plotlines. The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2021 Especially when the driver has a stroke, causing the car to careen out of control, rolling near the edge of a cliff. Lincee Ray, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
from carine side of a ship, from Middle French, submerged part of a hull, from Latin carina hull, half of a nutshell; perhaps akin to Greek karyon nut
First Known Use
Verb
circa 1583, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1712, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
careen
verb
ca·reen kə-ˈrēn
careened; careening
: to go at high speed without control
careened
verb
1
as in lurched
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the sled careened as it barreled down the hill Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- lurched
- swayed
- rocked
- shook
- jerked
- tossed
- rolled
- wobbled
- seesawed
- halted
- tumbled
- vibrated
- weaved
- tottered
- teetered
- faltered
- pitched
- waddled
- floundered
- wavered
- vacillated
- stumbled
- reeled
- staggered
- jolted
- hobbled
- toddled
- blundered
- bucked
- wabbled
- oscillated
- hitched
- doddered
- waggled
- undulated
- wagged
2
as in staggered
to move forward while swaying from side to side he careened unsteadily to the couch after hitting his head Synonyms & Similar Words
- lurched
- staggered
- weaved
- tottered
- teetered
- waddled
- rolled
- reeled
- stumbled
- stomped
- shuffled
- rocked
- swayed
- doddered
- wobbled
- wavered
- seesawed
- floundered
- shambled
- barged
- clomped
- blundered
- pounded
- swagged
- lumbered
- tramped
- scuffled
- stamped
- galumphed
- clumped
- scuffed
- lumped
- tromped
- wabbled
3
as in sped
to proceed or move quickly sounding its siren, an ambulance careened through the intersection Synonyms & Similar Words
- sped
- raced
- scurried
- hurried
- trotted
- drove
- rushed
- flew
- traveled
- chased
- jumped
- zipped
- scooted
- darted
- ran
- speeded
- buzzed
- travelled
- run
- stepped
- scuttled
- blew
- dashed
- hurtled
- rammed
- blasted
- whirled
- hurled
- tore
- zoomed
- careered
- hustled
- bolted
- rocketed
- ripped
- barreled
- blazed
- bowled
- jogged
- motored
- hastened
- breezed
- bustled
- humped
- rustled
- pelted
- galloped
- whisked
- coursed
- hied
- shot
- jetted
- bundled
- belted
- nipped
- barrelled
- bombed
- flitted
- scampered
- hared
- sprinted
- beat it
- highballed
- scudded
- cannonballed
- streaked
- whizzed
- stampeded
- made tracks
- shook a leg
- scuffled
- accelerated
- cracked (on)
- stepped on it
- hotfooted (it)
- beetled
- got a move on
- overtook
- outran
- outpaced
- quickened
- outstripped
- stepped out
- arrowed
- caught up
- beelined
- fast-forwarded
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- crept
- dragged
- crawled
- poked
- lingered
- lagged
- poked
- strolled
- loitered
- sauntered
- ambled
- hung (around or out)
- shuffled
- lumbered
- hanged (around or out)
- plodded
- dallied
- tarried
- dawdled
- decelerated
- slowed (down or up)
- dillydallied