1
as in to lurch
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the sled careened as it barreled down the hill
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of careen
In January 2018, a car careened off Torrey Pines Road onto the adjacent hillside, landing in the yard of one of the Coast Walk houses below.
—
Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
The rebound careened right back to his stick, and the reigning MVP easily put it in the net past a diving Hellebuyck, who appeared to still be trying to find the puck off the initial shot.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2025
On Friday afternoon, divers on a D.C. police boat maneuvered through slabs of ice atop the water and recovered the second of two dead bodies—a pickup truck had careened off the Memorial Bridge and been entombed under the surface.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The Denver Broncos were careening toward a three-and-out on the first drive of their first playoff game in nine years.
—Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for careen 
Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
The rebound careened right back to his stick, and the reigning MVP easily put it in the net past a diving Hellebuyck, who appeared to still be trying to find the puck off the initial shot.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2025
On Friday afternoon, divers on a D.C. police boat maneuvered through slabs of ice atop the water and recovered the second of two dead bodies—a pickup truck had careened off the Memorial Bridge and been entombed under the surface.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
The Denver Broncos were careening toward a three-and-out on the first drive of their first playoff game in nine years.
—Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for careen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careen
Verb
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After striking the barriers, the truck backed up, then lurched forward, striking the metal barriers a second time.—
Alexandra Koch,
Fox News,
26 Jan. 2025
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The dollar continued its long-running rise, as the expectation of higher interest rates in the United States maintained its allure for investors around the world, even as yields in other bond markets lurched higher.—
Joe Rennison,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This election will also see the village comply with changes to its electoral code by instituting term limits, staggered terms for trustees, non-partisan elections and a change in structure of how trustees are elected, including some elected from districts and some elected at large.—
Richard Requena,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2025
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Six years later, they are thrown together at a 500-year-old estate in Wales, and what follows is epic in scale and staggering in its beauty.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
2 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Rats scurry across the halls, smuggled in inadvertently between the folds of a homeless man’s clothes.—
Inkoo Kang,
The New Yorker,
8 Feb. 2025
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Runner, sprinter, bolter, scarper, scurrying 'fighter'.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Bregman’s wife got accepted to Harvard Extension School early last week, perhaps swaying his decision.—
Jen McCaffrey,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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Lincoln is gradually radicalized to act and Douglass learns how to moderate his message to sway politicians.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Her latest feature, The Ice Tower (La Tour de glace), is no exception, weaving a twisted retro fairytale that sits somewhere between Frozen and Mulholland Drive.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
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Watch the video | Rare 1,600-year-old purple fabric — woven with gold threads — found in France.—
Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization,
Miami Herald,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed an executive order urging state officials to speed up implementation.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2025
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Here's more to bring you up to speed the 113th Tennessee General Assembly.—
Duane W. Gang,
The Tennessean,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Florida's southwest waterways are being rocked by red tide and a separate toxic algae bloom, which is believed to be linked to discharge from Lake Okeechobee.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
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Singapore, usually an oasis of stability, has been rocked by a series of political scandals in the past two years.—
Nicholas Yong,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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These deals won't be around forever, so hurry up and add these to your cart!—
Gabriela Vatu,
PCMAG,
7 Feb. 2025
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As the fire roared down a hillside toward their Altadena home, Vanessa Prata and her parents hurried to pack their car.—
Gene Johnson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
12 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Careen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careen. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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