veer

1 of 3

verb (1)

veered; veering; veers

intransitive verb

1
: to change direction or course
the economy veered sharply downward
2
of the wind : to shift in a clockwise direction compare back entry 4 sense 2
3
of a ship : to change course by turning the stern to the wind

transitive verb

: to direct to a different course
specifically : wear sense 7
veeringly adverb

veer

2 of 3

noun

: a change in course or direction
a veer to the right

veer

3 of 3

verb (2)

veered; veering; veers

transitive verb

: to let out (something, such as a rope)
Choose the Right Synonym for veer

swerve, veer, deviate, depart, digress, diverge mean to turn aside from a straight course.

swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

Examples of veer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
So, while Hovde started with an element of truth, his claim veered widely from there, just as past claims have. Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 An investigation into the crash found an SUV being driven by Santana was heading southbound on the interstate when the vehicle veered onto the shoulder and struck the trooper’s patrol car. Timothy Nerozzi, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 Military radar captured it veering dramatically off its intended path, heading westward, before the signal was lost. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Weaver, who is running to unseat Raman, argues that his opponent has veered too far left on key issues. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2024 To be sure, a heavy contingent of police was on hand to make sure the event did not veer outside the boundaries of acceptable protest. Nathan Hodge, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 But within these engaging dialogues lies a curious phenomenon: a tendency for some to veer into the realm of skepticism. Mark Travers, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 The result can be painfully awkward as hosts of this sort forgo a conventional style of interviewing for unstructured conversations that can veer between friendly banter and intense interrogations. Anna Tingley, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 The mood among the MAGA devotees, however, has lately veered toward mistrust, said Reznick, a Democrat. Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
The alert skier veers to the right as the avalanche continues down the slope to avoid being caught up in the cascading snow, the video shows. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2024 But there’s a chance the snow cuts off earlier in the night in that region if the precipitation veers to the south, as some models suggest. Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 The company will use sensors and GPS data to detect if a ride veers from the normal course or ends too early. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 While both share abundant sunshine and chic hotels, the vibe in Palm Springs veers a little more toward midcentury-modern hip and exploring the outdoors. Juliet Izon, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2024 But the syllabus veers from the state framework by including Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in a unit on colonialism. Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 While inevitably some of these narratives veer into camp territory, bloodsucking couples, navigating various rituals and parameters, are often compelling metaphorical mirrors representative of desires or fantasies left unspoken. Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2024 Director Taylor Reynolds deftly calibrates the tonal counterpoint as the play veers through comedy, heartache and eeriness. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Over the course of an album, that approach veers towards formula. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2024
Verb
For a citrus perfume that veers more savory than sweet, this D.S. & Durga fragrance has found the sweet spot. Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 31 Mar. 2023 Think of post-punk scrubbed of all darkness, maybe even art: Trademark echoes were offset by a melodicism that veered on loungey, thrift fashion as bubblegum. Noah Shachtman, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2023 On Monday, 28-year-old Minnesota cowboy J.D. Struxness was making his way on horseback across the stadium during a steer wrestling event when his horse tripped over a steer who veered too closely alongside them. Ariana Garcia, Chron, 17 Mar. 2023 She was fatally struck by a drunken driver who had veered into a safety lane blocked by cones. Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023 Due to its slim design and premium comfort, the Bose 700s are the exception to the rule of wanting to veer away from traditional headphone designs. John Thompson, Men's Health, 14 Feb. 2023 Super Bowl snacks tend to veer salty — best washed down with a cold beer. Times Insider Staff, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023 Hence the content of the courses tends to veer towards teaching practices that turn graduates into dutiful employees of big firms pursuing short term goals. Steve Denning, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 To combat that, the Jones family decided to veer away from the conventional farming model. Quartz, 20 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'veer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English veren, probably altered from Anglo-French virer "to whirl, turn, revolve" (continental Old French, "to throw with a twisting motion"), going back to Vulgar Latin *vīrāre, reduced from Latin vibrāre "to wave, propel suddenly" — more at vibrate

Note: The vowel change (e in Middle English, i in French) is of unclear motivation. Cf. Old Scots wyr, wyre "to throw along a curving trajectory," vyre "to turn about a fixed point," apparently borrowed from Anglo-French virer with no alteration of vowel.

Noun

noun derivative of veer entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English veren, borrowed from Middle Dutch *vieren or Middle Low German vīren, perhaps from a Frisian verbal derivative of Old Frisian fīr "far"; akin to Old English feorr far entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of veer was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near veer

Cite this Entry

“Veer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

veer

verb
ˈvi(ə)r
: to change direction or course
the highway veers inland at this point
veer noun

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