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
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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
3
as in sped
to proceed or move quickly
sounding its siren, an ambulance careened through the intersection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of careened
As Bello careened toward an early exit, Skubal made mincemeat of the righty-heavy lineup Cora deployed.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Mason McTavish’s downward tip got through Tolopilo’s wickets but careened across the crease and wide.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Pena was shifted perfectly up the middle to field it and step on second for the third out, but the grounder careened off the bag into the outfield for an RBI double.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 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
After sliding about 1,000 vertical feet, Bhatta careened into a patch of snow and stopped.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026
The car then careened through two yards before hitting a Chevrolet Equinox parked in the driveway of a home, officials said.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
One commercial jet careened into a seawall while landing in heavy fog; another plunged into Tokyo Bay for unknown reasons; yet another, into Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, also for unknown reasons.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The shot careened off the rim and the crowd erupted as Texas State defeated the Mountaineers 60-57 — its seventh victory in eight games.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Mason McTavish’s downward tip got through Tolopilo’s wickets but careened across the crease and wide.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 13 Apr. 2026
Pena was shifted perfectly up the middle to field it and step on second for the third out, but the grounder careened off the bag into the outfield for an RBI double.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 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
After sliding about 1,000 vertical feet, Bhatta careened into a patch of snow and stopped.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2026
The car then careened through two yards before hitting a Chevrolet Equinox parked in the driveway of a home, officials said.
—Michael Guise, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
One commercial jet careened into a seawall while landing in heavy fog; another plunged into Tokyo Bay for unknown reasons; yet another, into Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, also for unknown reasons.
—Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
The shot careened off the rim and the crowd erupted as Texas State defeated the Mountaineers 60-57 — its seventh victory in eight games.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careened
Verb
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Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The transition has to be staggered.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Kimmel’s pretend roast The license probe reportedly was sped up after the Kimmel joke.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Apr. 2026
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The city has released unedited footage showing the high-speed, life-or-death negotiation that played out when a robbery suspect sped off with an Antioch officer inside his getaway car, then attempted to negotiate out of trouble until being shot in the leg.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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They were swayed by a local program launched by city-LAB UCLA, a center founded by the University of California, Los Angeles' Architecture and Urban Design Department, which included a showcase of six prefab housing options and a guide to help navigate the process and secure financing.—
Vanessa Romo,
NPR,
27 Apr. 2026
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The criticism, from Shirley, his supporters, and California Republicans, has not swayed Democratic state lawmakers.—
Andrew Graham
April 26,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But though Venter raced the public project to a standstill — the two groups announced a tie on the White House lawn — the result, in business terms, was murkier.—
Matthew Herper,
STAT,
30 Apr. 2026
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Jorbit Vivas raced home from first after pitcher Freddy Peralta threw the ball wildly past first on Nasim Nuñez’s comebacker and Nuñez came home on Jacob Young’s single.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Haitian immigrants became eligible after an earthquake rocked the country in 2010.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Flyers fans stomped on the animal and nearly destroyed it before security scurried the souvenir away from the rambunctious crowd.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
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All three Mets runners scored as Baty scurried to third with a triple.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
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Bukele shook off his delusions of being the emperor of social media and abandoned his bullying tactics in the face of the biggest bully.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Careened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careened. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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