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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of careen
Mason McTavish’s downward tip got through Tolopilo’s wickets but careened across the crease and wide.
—
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
The first three episodes are a disaster, taking 90 minutes to establish a premise that needs to be wrapped up in the pilot, and littering the plot with enough holes to send even a more polished vehicle careening off track.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Following the flyby, 2026 GD will continue along a 644-day elliptical path that takes it beyond the orbit of Mars before careening back towards the sun.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026
During just the first hour of Tuesday’s trading, the Dow careened between a gain of 74 points and a loss of 425.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for careen
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
The first three episodes are a disaster, taking 90 minutes to establish a premise that needs to be wrapped up in the pilot, and littering the plot with enough holes to send even a more polished vehicle careening off track.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Following the flyby, 2026 GD will continue along a 644-day elliptical path that takes it beyond the orbit of Mars before careening back towards the sun.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026
During just the first hour of Tuesday’s trading, the Dow careened between a gain of 74 points and a loss of 425.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for careen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careen
Verb
-
The ladies haven’t had that problem, lurching out of the gate like the racehorses at Ascot.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
For weeks, the Strait of Hormuz has lurched between open and closed — mostly the latter — depending on the day’s escalation, underscoring how fragile a system built on global fossil fuel chokepoints has become.—
Jennifer Granholm,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Together the strangers slung Haridasse's arms over their shoulders and staggered to the finish line as a trio.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, addressed concerns about giving one party too much power by staggering the new authorizations out over a 0-year period.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Your eyes may see the prairie dogs digging and scurrying.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Orlando would scurry to get back in the game and thanks to some lucky breaks in the second half, the Storm were able to make things interesting.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The reality, even now, is that the director of the CIA may be subordinate to the DNI on the organizational charts, but the CIA boss has a lot more power, more information, and, sometimes, more sway with presidents, than the DNI does.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Here’s a breakdown of the three themes that swayed Wall Street over the past five sessions.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But where limestone is crumbly and opaque, nacre’s toughness and light-bending properties come from silklike proteins that weave among the layers, holding them in place while providing enough elasticity to absorb the shock of a fracture.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Never tested in orbit, NASA’s robot could, in theory, perform tasks like weaving solar power stations and antennae in space from spools of carbon fiber.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Performance turnarounds of this nature take time, and there are no tangible shortcuts that can speed up the process.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Forty-seven people died and more than 100 were injured when a speeding Burlington passenger train headed for California slammed into a train bound for Omaha, which had stopped at the Naperville station.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Zack Bolduc and Cole Caufield, on the power play, had spotted Montreal a 2-0 lead as the Bell Centre absolutely rocked again in the anticipation and hope that perhaps their team might take a 3-1 lead over the favoured Lightning.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The explosion was part of a wave of attacks in recent days which have rocked Cauca and fueled security concerns ahead of presidential elections next month.—
Alfie Pannell,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump being hurried off the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Might as well hurry up and shoot.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Careen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careen. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
