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
Example Sentences
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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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Don’t gag, don’t cry — and my stomach lurched.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
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Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Murray and Johnson staggered with the bench unit.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
18 Apr. 2026
-
This is when your tiles are laid both horizontally and staggered.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Product development has already been sped up with TickPick’s support, according to Brennan.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Charges say Steward sped through a red light and hit another vehicle at the intersection of Emerson and 26th avenues.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bryan stretched it out across something close to 20 minutes, weaving in introductions of his band members, letting each take a turn at showing off their prowess, while the crowd jumped, shouted and swayed in unison.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Apr. 2026
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The readers are leaning skeptical, but they could have been swayed by stronger evidence of lasting life in Auburn’s script.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Their fans will have cast a nervous glance at the goal difference column after City raced into the lead at Turf Moor through Erling Haaland after five minutes.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Marlins raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to Xavier Edwards’ RBI double and Liam Hicks’ two-run homer, an impressive drive that cut through a cold San Francisco night.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 1960s rocked the world and continued to haunt and inspire us as failure and ideal, more or less forever.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
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Mayor Tom Arceneaux said the shootings rocked the community roughly 200 miles east of Dallas.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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With Game 3 of the World Series underway at Dodger Stadium last October, a few folks scurried across a pedestrian bridge with LED lights and blue glow sticks.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In his press conference on Monday, Rosenior pointed out that one video of Fernandez appearing to walk past him after being substituted against Manchester United was cut before the player turned around and hugged him and shook his hand.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Shortly after the lethal injection got underway, a warden shook Willacy and shouted his name, but there was no response.—
David Fischer,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Careened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careened. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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