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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."
Examples of careen in a Sentence
Kelly Iko, The Athletic, 18 Mar. 2025
In the deep quiet, there was nothing to stop my thoughts from racing at top speed, looping, roving, circling, meandering, searching, careening between past regrets and future hopes, pinballing between wanting and not wanting things but mostly hating everything, including myself.
—Kate Siber, Outside Online, 11 Mar. 2025
An influx of migrants, leading to a spate of high-profile violent attacks, has only added to a sense that the country is careening off course.
—Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Feb. 2025
Aggressive trade wars, government shutdowns, and unexpected disasters can send markets careening to the downside.
—Chris Carosa, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Careen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careen. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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