Synonyms of careening

careening

verb

present participle of careen

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

• lurching
• swaying
• rocking
• shaking
• rolling
• tossing
• jerking
• wobbling
• halting
• vibrating
• tumbling
• seesawing
• reeling
• vacillating
• weaving
• faltering
• wavering
• tottering
• pitching
• waddling
• stumbling
• staggering
• teetering
• blundering
• floundering
• hobbling
• jolting
• bucking
• oscillating
• hitching
• toddling
• undulating
• doddering
• wagging
• waggling

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

• lurching
• staggering
• weaving
• reeling
• rolling
• shuffling
• stomping
• tottering
• waddling
• teetering
• stumbling
• rocking
• swaying
• doddering
• wavering
• wobbling
• seesawing
• barging
• blundering
• pounding
• shambling
• floundering
• scuffling
• lumbering
• stamping
• swagging
• tramping
• lumping
• clumping
• galumphing
• scuffing
• clomping
• tromping

3

as in speeding

to proceed or move quickly

sounding its siren, an ambulance careened through the intersection

Synonyms & Similar Words

• speeding
• scurrying
• hurrying
• driving
• traveling
• racing
• flying
• rushing
• trotting
• zipping
• chasing
• jumping
• running
• darting
• buzzing
• scooting
• blowing
• careering
• scuttling
• blasting
• hurtling
• stepping
• dashing
• tearing
• barreling
• whirling
• zooming
• ramming
• ripping
• blazing
• rocketing
• hustling
• hurling
• bowling
• shooting
• bolting
• coursing
• hastening
• galloping
• jogging
• breezing
• bustling
• pelting
• motoring
• whisking
• rustling
• humping
• haring
• jetting
• belting
• bundling
• cannonballing
• cracking (on)
• nipping
• highballing
• bombing
• hying
• beating it
• flitting
• scampering
• whizzing
• scudding
• stampeding
• sprinting
• stepping on it
• making tracks
• accelerating
• getting a move on
• hotfooting (it)
• scuffling
• streaking
• shaking a leg
• beetling
• overtaking
• outrunning
• quickening
• outstripping
• outpacing
• stepping out
• catching up
• arrowing
• beelining
• fast-forwarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• creeping
• crawling
• dragging
• poking
• lingering
• hanging (around or out)
• poking
• lagging
• dawdling
• strolling
• shuffling
• loitering
• ambling
• sauntering
• lumbering
• plodding
• dallying
• decelerating
• tarrying
• slowing (down or up)
• dillydallying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of careening

The impact sent the Hyundai over the curb and careening into the pedestrian before striking a parked 2026 Hyundai Odyssey, cops said. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026

Officials were told that a vehicle had traveled through the intersection of Highway 92 and Alameda de las Pulgas before careening into a light pole. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026

Many department policies tell officers to move out of the way of a vehicle rather than shoot because of the potential harm to bystanders who could be struck by unintended gunfire or by a careening vehicle if the driver is incapacitated. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

That volatility mirrors the album’s overall mood and thematic POV; TOY COLLAGES feels like one big, bad trip, Dean careening through the existential delusions of those around them before turning toward their own. — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026

An attempt to slow the plane by grabbing onto the wing only results in the wing snapping off while the fuselage keeps careening towards the ground. — James Grebey, Time, 26 June 2026

The crash in the Houston suburb of Katy gained immense attention after video from the incident showed the car careening into the side of the home. — Samantha Elkins, NBC news, 25 June 2026

Steele’s video shows a black Jeep Cherokee pass his vehicle on the left shoulder, hitting the front of his vehicle and careening across lanes of traffic to strike Wright’s SUV. — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 23 June 2026

Dashcam footage posted on social media showed the aircraft careening down the highway, taking out a light post before coming to a stop. — CBS News, 17 June 2026