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
The collision sent the fire truck careening into an Access-a-Ride bus, which in turn slammed into a Lexus SUV, police said.
—
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Uncertainty about the war has sent prices in financial markets careening up and down this week, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing.
—Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Uncertainty about the war has sent prices in financial markets careening this week, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Imagine that—mother, child, and a half dozen designer beasts in a teetering Winnebago, careening down byways, pulling into Woonsocket for a night to drop off last weekend’s wolf pack and pick up the next, before getting back on the road to chase glory all over again.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
His mother was working two jobs and his father, a longtime alcoholic who was often unemployed, was careening toward disaster.
—Keith O'Brien, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
Mother Tongue Film Festival; the ever-popular Garage Racing National Championships, which find bike riders careening through an underground parking garage; and events honoring Black History Month, including a film festival, walking tours and trivia.
—Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2026
The Dardennes-esque vérité portrait of lives careening from loss and economic hardship won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival that year — including Best Director for Hammer — and received multiple Film Independent Spirit and Gotham award nominations.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026
Bad Bunny‘s historic month — careening from Grammy album of the year honors into the annals of Super Bowl halftime history — feels like a coronation for Latin music.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Uncertainty about the war has sent prices in financial markets careening up and down this week, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing.
—Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Uncertainty about the war has sent prices in financial markets careening this week, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Imagine that—mother, child, and a half dozen designer beasts in a teetering Winnebago, careening down byways, pulling into Woonsocket for a night to drop off last weekend’s wolf pack and pick up the next, before getting back on the road to chase glory all over again.
—Andrew Norman Wilson, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
His mother was working two jobs and his father, a longtime alcoholic who was often unemployed, was careening toward disaster.
—Keith O'Brien, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
Mother Tongue Film Festival; the ever-popular Garage Racing National Championships, which find bike riders careening through an underground parking garage; and events honoring Black History Month, including a film festival, walking tours and trivia.
—Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2026
The Dardennes-esque vérité portrait of lives careening from loss and economic hardship won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival that year — including Best Director for Hammer — and received multiple Film Independent Spirit and Gotham award nominations.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026
Bad Bunny‘s historic month — careening from Grammy album of the year honors into the annals of Super Bowl halftime history — feels like a coronation for Latin music.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for careening
Verb
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The two sides have been lurching toward this end for a while now.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Brant, who was elected in a special election in August, inherited an office already in disarray, in a county that has spent the past year lurching from one government crisis to the next.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Add additional rows of blocks, staggering them over the previous layer and using construction adhesive between rows.—
Daniel Modlin,
Architectural Digest,
5 Mar. 2026
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Dash camera video posted by the Huber Heights Police Department on its Facebook page shows the worker rolling the bin toward a garbage truck, lifting the lid and quickly staggering back before pointing toward the container as officers pull up.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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District staff don’t expect to run out of spendable cash until September, slowing down the district’s speeding descent toward insolvency, but not by a lot.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Another recent paper co-authored by James Hansen — the US scientist who publicly sounded the alarm on the climate crisis in the 1980s — also concluded global warming is speeding up, but didn’t do a statistical significance test, Rahmstorf said.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From hiking and biking to navigating swaying cruise ships and 500-acre theme parks, shoppers have put these comfy, supportive sandals to the test.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
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Unlock The Mystery Surrounding A Lone Mailbox Sticking out like a sore thumb along gently swaying sea oats and majestic sand dunes, the Wrightsville Beach Mailbox is a legendary character in this part of North Carolina.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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We were passed by four out-of-control Harley bikers going 80-90 mph, weaving in and out of steadily moving traffic, while illegally passing cars on the right shoulder for miles.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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Combining his team and their content with Paramount+ is not the same as weaving Showtime into Paramount+ or moving FX over to Hulu.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iranian missiles have sent Israelis scurrying for shelters multiple times a day and night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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DeMar DeRozan just slammed a water bottle to the floor, sending several courtside attendants scurrying into action to mop up the mess.—
HECTOR AMEZCUA,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Graham kept the pops of color going in another snap, rocking a pink denim romper with oversize tortoiseshell shades.—
Staff Author,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
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The earlier‑referenced Quest returns from its world cruise in July for Northern Europe and Canada/New England sailings — still rocking that new bow-to-stern makeover.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
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Meza Gonzalez and David Christian, one of her attorneys, refused to answer questions from reporters about the plea agreement, hurrying down a flight of stairs at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.—
Megan Rodriguez,
San Antonio Express-News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Careening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careening. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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