1
as in lurching
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the sled careened as it barreled down the hill
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of careening
The outlook isn’t good for the Kings, who have gotten older without fixing the roster imbalance that sent them careening toward play-in tournament losses each of the past two seasons.
—
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2025
André Marques was killed when the tram derailed during evening rush hour in Lisbon, Portugal and went careening into a building, Sitra (Transport Workers' Union) announced this afternoon.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Eyewitnesses reported seeing one of the railway’s two cars derailing and careening down the street before hitting a building.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
There’s no word on whether the careening bullet train will allow for drag queen fashion and performance challenges typical of the Drag Race TV series.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Of their 26 games, 20 are against teams with winning records while three are against the pesky Marlins and three are against the careening Nationals.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
That corpse and everything pertaining to it turns into the film’s Achille’s heel, producing a hazy mystery that gets lost amid the chaos of careening and colliding side stories.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Jun’s aunt and uncle, Eleanor Rigby and Hey Jude, are sweetly careening through their own soundtrack, in their own dance-time, her cheek resting on his chest, his cheek resting atop her head.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
The wild shootout sent a street light careening into the eatery.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2025
André Marques was killed when the tram derailed during evening rush hour in Lisbon, Portugal and went careening into a building, Sitra (Transport Workers' Union) announced this afternoon.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Eyewitnesses reported seeing one of the railway’s two cars derailing and careening down the street before hitting a building.
—Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
There’s no word on whether the careening bullet train will allow for drag queen fashion and performance challenges typical of the Drag Race TV series.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Of their 26 games, 20 are against teams with winning records while three are against the pesky Marlins and three are against the careening Nationals.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
That corpse and everything pertaining to it turns into the film’s Achille’s heel, producing a hazy mystery that gets lost amid the chaos of careening and colliding side stories.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Jun’s aunt and uncle, Eleanor Rigby and Hey Jude, are sweetly careening through their own soundtrack, in their own dance-time, her cheek resting on his chest, his cheek resting atop her head.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
The wild shootout sent a street light careening into the eatery.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careening
Verb
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But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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The result, nearly eight months into his second term, is an economy that appears to be lurching into a new era of state control.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As Devers launched his 30th home run of the season into the right field seats at Coors Field, Colorado starting pitcher Kyle Freeland took exception to the slugger slowly staggering out of the batter's box, watching the flight of the ball.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Dish was losing money, staggering under $21 billion in debt and hemorrhaging pay TV subscribers.—
Monica Hunter-Hart,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Brown has a history of citations and arrests in North Carolina dating back to 2011, according to court records, from minor infractions like speeding to more serious crimes such as communicating threats, breaking and entering, assault, and felony larceny.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
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The film, which premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, opens with a truck speeding off after having deposited the body of a teenage girl dressed in a school uniform on an isolated desert peak.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The crowd was especially amped up during the performance, with Ciara among many in the audience standing up and swaying (and seemingly singing) along.—
Stacy Lambe,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Hamas on Friday released a video of two hostages being driven around Gaza City, in a move apparently aimed at swaying Israeli public opinion as the military ramps up its assault on the city.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The story unfolds in Agra during the 1990s, weaving together romantic elements with comedic beats and supernatural scares.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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Naming the bags is my way of weaving culture directly into design.—
Ugonnaora Owoh,
Essence,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With multiple Commanders defenders in pursuit, Burrow didn’t try to go out of bounds or slide, but rather turned around and tried scurrying away from them to keep the play alive.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The evening was packed with rocking performances, emotional tributes and an unexpected amount of love for therapists.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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The youngest of those sisters, Rosa, is played by the aforementioned Charli xcx, contributing a serviceable performance that doesn’t demand much of her apart from the need to look ravishingly exotic and rocking her famous mane of brunette waves.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Before the new regulations, says Annie Inglis, Marine Biology Presenter with Quark, the expedition crew would be hurrying to get guests in Zodiacs to try to get closer to a bear sighting like this.—
Cassidy Randall,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Careening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careening. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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