1
as in lurches
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 staggers
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 scurries
to proceed or move quickly
sounding its siren, an ambulance careened through the intersection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of careens
The up-and-comer goes all in as the film careens toward its gleefully gory finale, proving her scream queen bona fides with a commanding, vanity-free performance.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Their car careens off the road, hits a rock and dumps them into a river.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Their car careens off the road, hits a rock and dumps them into a river.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careens
Verb
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That film begins with charismatic bank robber Ryan Gosling in a thrilling motorcycle escape from the cops, and moves through several twists and turns, lurches forward in time, and holds Gosling at its heart as a man doing bad things for good reasons.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Make the most of the shoulder seasons Almost all schools in England enjoy the long summer break at the same time (unlike in Scotland, which staggers its school vacation time for each region).—
Lottie Gross,
AFAR Media,
29 Aug. 2025
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The agency staggers payments across the month to manage the large volume of recipients.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The older dog is shown marching along, while the puppy scurries along, attempting to match its pace.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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In some versions of the tale, the wolf scurries off to the forest while the three pigs live happily ever after in humble homesteads of their choice.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The museum gets off with a bang by taking guests on a simulated trip to space in a high-tech elevator lined with pin-sharp ultra-HD screens and a floor which gently sways to simulate zero gravity.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Yet, across the water, a seemingly impenetrable wall of the invasive plants sways in the wind, several feet tall.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Tintinnabuli was inspired, in part, by Pärt’s interest in much earlier styles of Christian music, including Gregorian chant – the single-voice singing of Roman Catholicism – and Renaissance polyphony, which weaves together multiple melodic lines.—
Jeffers Engelhardt,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
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On Water Expeditions The Hooghly River weaves through the Indian state of West Bengal from the Ganges, its parent river, to the sea, through a landscape lined with mustard fields and mango orchards.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Anduril highlights that the architecture also speeds software updates.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
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Insoluble fiber speeds up digestion and keeps your gut running smoothly.—
Courtney Southwick,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are two key differences between the pairs, with the first being that the OG rocks a wraparound ankle strap, while the lookalike has a slingback design.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
9 Sep. 2025
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After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, a lack of suspects prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to team up with Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Where at one time soldiers and sailors made do with fluttering flags or flashes of light to send simple messages, the modern warfighter is part of a global digital network where data rushes about like water out of a firehose and satellites act as a vital link in that network.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
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Beard would finish on the ground with 3 rushes for 20 yards and a single score.—
Chris Winters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Careens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careens. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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