1
as in lurching
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 staggering
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 speeding
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 careening
In the Minneapolis and Franklin Park shootings, the drivers were killed and their vehicles continued careening down public roads before crashing into other cars.
—
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.
—Rebecca Santana, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2026
The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.
—Rebecca Santana, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
When the car accelerates, the officer in front of the car appears to fire three shots, killing Good and sending her vehicle careening into a parked car.
—Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Thinking about the pendulum careening back the other way reminded me of something from an interview about five years ago, as the Chiefs were seeking to repeat after winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
The resulting film, Marty Supreme, follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a cunning, ambitious table tennis player from the Lower East side careening through a series of frantic confrontations in 1950s New York City.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
This stretch has in recent years also added more stop signs and crosswalks for pedestrians and cyclists, and the calming effect has been palpable as drag racers, careening Hummers, and otherwise alarming vehicles seem to avoid it (unlike MLK, unfortunately).
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
But then Ross moved Steve just a little bit closer to the edge, sending everyone's favorite babysitter careening off the desk.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.
—Rebecca Santana, Fortune, 10 Jan. 2026
The camera becomes unsteady and points toward the sky and then returns to the street view showing Good’s SUV careening away.
—Rebecca Santana, Austin American Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026
When the car accelerates, the officer in front of the car appears to fire three shots, killing Good and sending her vehicle careening into a parked car.
—Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Thinking about the pendulum careening back the other way reminded me of something from an interview about five years ago, as the Chiefs were seeking to repeat after winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
The resulting film, Marty Supreme, follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a cunning, ambitious table tennis player from the Lower East side careening through a series of frantic confrontations in 1950s New York City.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
This stretch has in recent years also added more stop signs and crosswalks for pedestrians and cyclists, and the calming effect has been palpable as drag racers, careening Hummers, and otherwise alarming vehicles seem to avoid it (unlike MLK, unfortunately).
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
But then Ross moved Steve just a little bit closer to the edge, sending everyone's favorite babysitter careening off the desk.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careening
Verb
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Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
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The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Cheng likes to build muni bond ladders, which means staggering the maturity dates of multiple bonds.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
29 Oct. 2025
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To get through the season and the playoffs, staggering the minutes of Green and Horford is logical, even with Quintin Post picking up some center minutes.—
Jannelle Moore,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The manufacturers and developers at the hearing told legislators that creating incentives, simplifying building codes and speeding up project reviews would help the industry grow.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Dash camera video captured the teen speeding away from the traffic stop and narrowly missing a deputy standing in the road.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Expect no-frills musicianship under warm stage lights, a crowd swaying to pedal steel and fiddle, and the kind of intimate connection that has made Wall’s shows feel like stories shared around a campfire.—
Travis Pinson,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Mom pointed to a pepper tree swaying in the wind.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Each program looks at specific themes by weaving together various stories, poems and sometimes music.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Jan. 2026
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Guests are also encouraged to organically spotlight their own beauty, beverage or lifestyle brands during the episode, weaving commerce into the format without overt ad breaks.—
Anna Tingley,
Variety,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If seeing one scurrying through your living room sends you scrambling for a quick remedy, your instincts are on track.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Jan. 2026
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Investigators are now once again searching for the person who was seen dressed in all black and scurrying down a street in the Rhode Island capital around the time of the shooting in video released to the public on Saturday night.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The figurine finds Pac holding a baseball bat while rocking a black Orioles jersey over a white long-sleeve shirt and a gold chain to go with his signature headband look.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
13 Jan. 2026
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Middleton first sported the classic color on her toenails, rocking a bright-red pedicure at a reception during her and William’s 2019 royal tour of Pakistan.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But one weekend in November, people who would typically be hurrying by, staring down at their phones, stopped.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
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Butler began hurrying Boise State and pushing up the tempo, which allowed the Broncos to score off several backdoor cuts and slip screens for big dunks and layups at the rim.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Careening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careening. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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