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Careen and Career
Some people might be confused by the warning to not confuse careen and career, because the most common sense of career ("a profession") is not much like any of the meanings of careen. But when employed as a verb, career does have some semantic overlap with careen; both words may be used to mean "to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner." A car, for instance, may either careen or career. Some usage guides hold, however, that the car is only careening if there is side-to-side motion, as careen has other meanings related to movement, among which is "to sway from side to side."
Examples of careen in a Sentence
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 17 July 2025
To wit, back in April and early May the Royals won 16 of 18 games — the franchise’s best such stretch since 1978 — then careened into a 14-28 skid before this recent reset.
—Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Once it’s set, however, the song hits that midpoint launch, and the visuals take off with it, careening into a kaleidoscopic burst of moshing, shredding, and seemingly unfettered euphoria that quickly descends into strange violence and cannibalistic chaos.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2025
The East River’s currents can be quite strong, as was seen last month when the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and was then sent helplessly careening into the Brooklyn Bridge by the water’s powerful force, breaking its masts on the span.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 7 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for careen
Cite this Entry
“Careen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careen. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
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