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
That was when San Antonio’s Robert Horry took a hard foul on Suns star Steve Nash, sending him careening into the scorer’s table.
—
The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
No, not his stray comment about redistricting on a podcast that is now careening toward a $200 million-plus special election.
—Will Oneill, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
And, eventually, so many symptom-free years had gone by that my diagnosis began to seem like just one more zany tale from my careening twenties.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
All teams careening toward, at best, exhibition bowl season.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 22 Oct. 2025
Eyewitnesses reported seeing one of the railway’s two cars derailing and careening down the street before hitting a building.
—Angélica Franganillo Díaz, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Highball glasses from the MoMA Design Store appear to be defying gale-force winds in real time, careening permanently to the left.
—Emily Johnson, Architectural Digest, 18 Oct. 2025
The games have always been fast and loose with physics, and the omnimovement system only exasperated it by giving everyone the Matrix-style power to shoot backward while careening down a flight of stairs.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
The event comes as the government is careening toward a potential shutdown that could force some 2 million troops to work without pay if a spending bill doesn't pass Congress by midnight Wednesday.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
No, not his stray comment about redistricting on a podcast that is now careening toward a $200 million-plus special election.
—Will Oneill, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
And, eventually, so many symptom-free years had gone by that my diagnosis began to seem like just one more zany tale from my careening twenties.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
All teams careening toward, at best, exhibition bowl season.
—Chase Goodbread, The Tuscaloosa News, 22 Oct. 2025
Eyewitnesses reported seeing one of the railway’s two cars derailing and careening down the street before hitting a building.
—Angélica Franganillo Díaz, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
Highball glasses from the MoMA Design Store appear to be defying gale-force winds in real time, careening permanently to the left.
—Emily Johnson, Architectural Digest, 18 Oct. 2025
The games have always been fast and loose with physics, and the omnimovement system only exasperated it by giving everyone the Matrix-style power to shoot backward while careening down a flight of stairs.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
The event comes as the government is careening toward a potential shutdown that could force some 2 million troops to work without pay if a spending bill doesn't pass Congress by midnight Wednesday.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careening
Verb
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Back then, Newcastle’s thin squad staggered between results, lurching from challenging the best sides in the league to befuddling losses to inferior squads.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 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
-
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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He was also convicted of speeding in a school zone in September 2017 in Tool, according to the warrant.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Nov. 2025
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Melvindale police pulled over a speeding vehicle during the weekend – and ended up delivering a baby.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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And some people kept watching and swaying and moving.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
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Some people kept watching and swaying and moving.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The debate over lasting solutions reveals the complexity of how criminal organizations have grown so powerful, weaving themselves into nearly every layer of Brazilian society over time.—
Alessandra Freitas,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
What results is a familiar historical drama, weaving together many various characters in the buildup to the climactic courtroom showdown.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Boston Herald,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This time, the final fans scurrying in were met by queues.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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Inside, there’s the occasional model being fitted and photographed, outside there are truck drivers, caterers, lighting specialists and many more milling around or scurrying about.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Figure skaters rocking the rink this year will include Olympians Jeremy Abbott, Nathan Chen, Keegan Messing, Mariah Bell, Polina Edmunds and Sinead Kerr Marshall with partner John Kerr, alongside viral sensation Elladj Baldé and Maxim Naumov.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
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Here’s what to know about the scandal rocking Shein.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In the footage, the children could be seen hurrying off the bus and onto the woman’s porch as the smoke grew.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
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Pedestrians are hurrying past to find their places on Fifth Avenue, but the girls have a different kind of readiness about them.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Careening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careening. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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