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

In moments, the two cars are careening along an autocross course amidst a backdrop of billowing smoke—a cacophony of screaming engines and tires accompanies as soundtrack to the precise automotive choreography. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026

Sadly, this train has been careening off a cliff for the better part of the season. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

With the married couple of Robert and Camille Sims careening off onto very different moral trajectories, Camille must confront troubling truths as her conscience plummets into the pits of Hades, while Robert is on a profound journey of salvation. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Combined with outdated governance structures and mindsets that prioritize donor relationships over mission delivery, the sector is careening towards a cliff without the compass governance is intended to provide. — Aparna Rae, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

It’s been careening back and forth because of uncertainty about what the war with Iran will do to the global flow of crude. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Charted out, the twin collapses of the income and inheritance taxes look like a roller coaster careening downhill, picking up speed toward and through the twenty-first century. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Our passing usually rattled grasshoppers into careening flight. — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026

Roth asks in one, referencing the ghostly figure careening overhead. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026