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 driver was spotted going erratically on Bridge Street and then running a red light on Pearl Street before careening into the brick wall of the school, the official said.
—
Mark Prussin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Thinking about the pendulum careening back the other way reminded me of something from an interview about five years ago, as the Chiefs were seeking to repeat after winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
The resulting film, Marty Supreme, follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a cunning, ambitious table tennis player from the Lower East side careening through a series of frantic confrontations in 1950s New York City.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
This stretch has in recent years also added more stop signs and crosswalks for pedestrians and cyclists, and the calming effect has been palpable as drag racers, careening Hummers, and otherwise alarming vehicles seem to avoid it (unlike MLK, unfortunately).
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
But then Ross moved Steve just a little bit closer to the edge, sending everyone's favorite babysitter careening off the desk.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
Or careening toward the edge of a breaking point, which—like most mothers—I’ve experienced myself.
—Ginny Hogan, Parents, 17 Dec. 2025
Elliss hit Dart and sent him careening onto the sideline.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
Another didn’t show the crash, but showed the plane careening from the clouds, nose-down, seconds before the crash.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
Mark Prussin, CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026
Thinking about the pendulum careening back the other way reminded me of something from an interview about five years ago, as the Chiefs were seeking to repeat after winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years.
—Kansas City Star, 1 Jan. 2026
The resulting film, Marty Supreme, follows Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a cunning, ambitious table tennis player from the Lower East side careening through a series of frantic confrontations in 1950s New York City.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
This stretch has in recent years also added more stop signs and crosswalks for pedestrians and cyclists, and the calming effect has been palpable as drag racers, careening Hummers, and otherwise alarming vehicles seem to avoid it (unlike MLK, unfortunately).
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
But then Ross moved Steve just a little bit closer to the edge, sending everyone's favorite babysitter careening off the desk.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Dec. 2025
Or careening toward the edge of a breaking point, which—like most mothers—I’ve experienced myself.
—Ginny Hogan, Parents, 17 Dec. 2025
Elliss hit Dart and sent him careening onto the sideline.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 4 Dec. 2025
Another didn’t show the crash, but showed the plane careening from the clouds, nose-down, seconds before the crash.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 4 Dec. 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
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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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The manufacturers and developers at the hearing told legislators that creating incentives, simplifying building codes and speeding up project reviews would help the industry grow.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Dash camera video captured the teen speeding away from the traffic stop and narrowly missing a deputy standing in the road.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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
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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
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If seeing one scurrying through your living room sends you scrambling for a quick remedy, your instincts are on track.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
1 Jan. 2026
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Investigators are now once again searching for the person who was seen dressed in all black and scurrying down a street in the Rhode Island capital around the time of the shooting in video released to the public on Saturday night.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In the first slide, a selfie captured Bieber rocking beach waves and a plunging black tank top, while the second image featured her ankle adorned with a gold chain and charm of her son's name next to Jack's tiny foot.—
Tessa Petak,
InStyle,
5 Jan. 2026
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The collection is a bit of a 180° for the athlete, who's known for rocking baggier getups while flying down a hill — or several feet in the air — when competing in his specialized slope style, big air and big-mountain skiing.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But one weekend in November, people who would typically be hurrying by, staring down at their phones, stopped.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
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Butler began hurrying Boise State and pushing up the tempo, which allowed the Broncos to score off several backdoor cuts and slip screens for big dunks and layups at the rim.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Careening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/careening. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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