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
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Recent Examples of careened
The divorced mom of three, along with Ramirez and some pals, soaked up the sun, rode on personal watercraft and careened down a giant slide.
—
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
On his game winner, as Jake Oettinger careened toward the near post to square him up, Hughes very intentionally shot wide to the far side into a tangle of bodies.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 1 May 2026
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
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 6 May 2026
On his game winner, as Jake Oettinger careened toward the near post to square him up, Hughes very intentionally shot wide to the far side into a tangle of bodies.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 1 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careened
Verb
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So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
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Meanwhile, federal policy has lurched in opposite directions.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But Betts’ staggered playing time will only last so long, and the Dodgers would like to refrain from having both Kim and Freeland on the bench.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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Indiana has staggered statewide elections, so Bray is not up for reelection until 2028, but his leadership position could be in jeopardy with the results of Tuesday's election.—
Caroline Linton,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Sam El-Said and his wife were riding scooters after a date night along the boardwalk when a swarm of several dozen teenagers on e-bikes sped by them.—
Rina Nakano,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
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The scaled down and sped up microhubs that are designed to handle 30-minute orders represent another step in Amazon’s pursuit.—
Anne D’Innocenzio,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Ultimately, the bond market is sending a message about the economy, and it isn’t swayed by trendy narratives, Malek said.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
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Trump condemned Roberts and the five other justices who ruled against him on tariffs and made an unsubstantiated claim that the court was swayed by foreign interests.—
Andrew Chung,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Lee became the first Giants hitter to be credited with one against the Dodgers since 1981, when Larry Herndon raced around the bases against Fernando Valenzuela at Candlestick Park.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The sound was moving, and Larry raced for our plane and turned on the emergency transmitter.—
Ben East,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The judiciary said Shahbakhsh carried out his attacks during protests that rocked Iran in 2022 and 2023 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
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The cruise ship rocked by an unprecedented Andes hantavirus outbreak arrived in the Canary Islands off the coast of Tenerife Island over the weekend and is being evacuated.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Wittorp scurried over to a curtained side entrance.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
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After Malik closed out the fundraiser with a stump speech calling for taxing the rich, Johnson drove off in a black Porsche Cayenne, and a plump rat scurried by the venue’s entrance.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Her plea will spare a lengthy discovery period and likely mark the legal denouement of a federal probe that shook Sacramento after the FBI recorded dozens of lobbyists in the summer of 2024 as part of the investigation.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
14 May 2026
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The writer-director sets her sophomore feature barely two years after the country shook off the despot’s iron grip.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Careened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careened. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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