Definition of careen
transitive verb
1 : to put (a ship or boat) on a beach especially in order to clean, caulk, or repair the hull
2 : to cause to heel over High waves careened the boat.
intransitive verb
1a : to clean, caulk, or repair the hull of a boatb : to undergo this process
2 : to heel over
3 : to sway from side to side : lurch a careening carriage being pulled wildly … by a team of runaway horses — J. P. Getty
4 : career The car careened down the hill.
From the M-W Editors
Examples of careen in a Sentence
the sled careened as it barreled down the hill
he careened unsteadily to the couch after hitting his head
Recent Examples of careen from the Web
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Even the smallest deviation from vertical will send the swing careening around.
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The outfield is spacious, leaving ample room for the ball to careen and roll while a batter takes an extra base or two.
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Video cameras aboard a RideKC bus captured a car involved in a rolling gunbattle careen out of control and crash into a light pole last week.
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The game has moved away from straight, predictable stretch of road that was Tiger Woods (every so often Phil Mickelson rearranged the itinerary) and careened hither and yon, dogleg right and left.
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The NBA had been careening toward this style of play for years now—the pace of it, the wild shooting, the impatient abandon.
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Looking back now, it is largely agreed that the contact was incidental, that Larson simply saw Hall careening toward him and at the last second threw his arms up in reaction.
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A man charged with drunken driving careened down a Salisbury street at 130 mph before a crash that left a woman critically injured, news reports say.
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His accent careens from unconvincing cockney to erratic southern drawl.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'careen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of careen
from carine side of a ship, from Medieval French, submerged part of a hull, from Latin carina hull, half of a nutshell; perhaps akin to Greek karyon nut
First Known Use of careen
1712
CAREEN Defined for English Language Learners
careen
playDefinition of careen for English Language Learners
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: to go forward quickly without control
CAREEN Defined for Kids
careen
playDefinition of careen for Students
careened
;careening
: to go at high speed without control
Learn More about careen
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See words that rhyme with careen Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for careen Spanish Central: Translation of careen Nglish: Translation of careen for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about careen
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