Synonyms of careens

careens

verb

present tense third-person singular of careen

1

as in lurches

to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions

the sled careened as it barreled down the hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lurches
• sways
• rocks
• shakes
• tosses
• halts
• seesaws
• vibrates
• wobbles
• rolls
• jerks
• tumbles
• vacillates
• staggers
• falters
• totters
• teeters
• waddles
• toddles
• weaves
• wavers
• stumbles
• hobbles
• flounders
• oscillates
• undulates
• pitches
• jolts
• reels
• waggles
• blunders
• hitches
• bucks
• dodders
• wags

2

as in staggers

to move forward while swaying from side to side

he careened unsteadily to the couch after hitting his head

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staggers
• lurches
• weaves
• totters
• teeters
• waddles
• shuffles
• stomps
• stumbles
• rolls
• reels
• sways
• rocks
• dodders
• wavers
• seesaws
• wobbles
• clomps
• lumbers
• flounders
• barges
• clumps
• shambles
• stamps
• pounds
• blunders
• swags
• tramps
• lumps
• tromps
• scuffs
• scuffles
• galumphs

3

as in scurries

to proceed or move quickly

sounding its siren, an ambulance careened through the intersection

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scurries
• speeds
• hurries
• rushes
• trots
• travels
• drives
• races
• chases
• flies
• jumps
• zips
• scoots
• buzzes
• runs
• scuttles
• blows
• hurls
• zooms
• whirls
• hurtles
• rips
• dashes
• darts
• blasts
• steps
• whisks
• hustles
• rustles
• jogs
• shoots
• hastens
• hies
• tears
• rams
• barrels
• bowls
• blazes
• gallops
• bustles
• motors
• bolts
• careers
• jets
• courses
• cracks (on)
• rockets
• belts
• humps
• flits
• scampers
• breezes
• bundles
• nips
• steps on it
• bombs
• makes tracks
• beats it
• accelerates
• pelts
• cannonballs
• hares
• highballs
• hotfoots (it)
• gets a move on
• whizzes
• sprints
• shakes a leg
• stampedes
• overtakes
• quickens
• outstrips
• outruns
• outpaces
• scuds
• beetles
• streaks
• steps out
• scuffles
• fast-forwards
• beelines
• arrows
• catches up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawls
• lingers
• drags
• lags
• pokes
• creeps
• loiters
• hangs (around or out)
• dawdles
• saunters
• ambles
• pokes
• shuffles
• tarries
• strolls
• dallies
• lumbers
• plods
• decelerates
• slows (down or up)
• dillydallies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of careens

But alas, eventually all involved have to get down to business and actually contend with the plot beats of Hoover’s story, which is when the movie careens off a cliff, plummeting past so-bad-it’s-good and crashing on the rocks of agonizingly dumb. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

And the plot careens from one incident to the next, sometimes landing on a random sight gag or odd digression. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

The truck careens directly into a sedan whose driver had seen the chase and pulled over. — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

In the clip, filmed at her 36th birthday party, Madix careens through a bar and lands directly onto her left cheek without attempting to break her fall; her hand is busy holding up her cocktail, which stays miraculously intact. — Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen careens across the gravel after the rear of his car locks up during Qualifying for the first race of the season. — Brad Spurgeon, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2026

With Good shot, the car then careens to the side of the road, crashing into a parked car. — Ella Lee, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2026

Delta Aurigid meteors appear each year as Earth careens through a debris trail left by an unknown comet. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025

As their season careens to a close this week, with a 70-87 record going into Wednesday night, a last-place finish assured and the only record within reach being that for strikeouts in a season by the offense, contention seems as far away as it’s ever been. — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 25 Sep. 2025