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Definitions

careen

[kuh-reen] / kəˈrin /
VERB
tilt; move wildly down path
Synonyms
Antonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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While recording in a park one evening, Jack picks up the sound of a car tire exploding before he sees the vehicle careen off the road and into a creek.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Even the slightest misstep made me feel like I was about to careen out of control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

A daunting prospect after mechanical failure caused his Lotus car to careen into barriers at 160mph in Jerez in 1990.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026

The tires of his car are splayed out and he appears to be about to careen off his corner pedestal straight into traffic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025

Her dad turned down a street so steep Emily was amazed everything didn’t just lean over and careen downhill through intersection after intersection into a crashing mess at the bottom.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

If traditional masculinity sometimes veers into the toxic, this version careens into the absurd.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

“You Wished for This” careens from ponderous ambience to shredded digital noise; The two parts of “Love is in the Air” recasts the yearning of a classic Hollywood love theme into a blood-soaked rictus grin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

As the tram careens past, a delivery man can been seen leaping to safety from his bicycle, while a passerby also races out of the way.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

His experience, he said, has taught him how to mitigate the damage done when an opposing team member careens into you.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025

Every now and then a passing star gives a tiny gravitational tug, and one of them obligingly careens into the inner solar system.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Bass has never lost an election and won’t easily fold, even as her first term has careened from one crisis to another.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

The Truman on the same deployment careened into a civilian ship, generating another report, which mentions issues such as ship watch standers “in a two-section rotation with only 60% manning, leading to excessive fatigue.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

This year, somehow, I careened straight from verdant, crisp summer food — cucumber salads, crisp chicken Caesar wraps, yogurt bowls, smoothies — into the warm-orange-and-brown spectrum of winter.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025

Jefferies’ shares are still down around 20% over the past month, having begun their slide as First Brands careened toward bankruptcy amid a flurry of media revelations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

His whole body careened first right, then left; he was like a bony little bird flapping out of control.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

About an inch long, they’re hard to miss — and are known for careening into unsuspecting bystanders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But here’s what excites me most about the brave new world of mathematics the A.I. industry has us careening toward: We will have a much sharper sense of what the truly difficult problems are.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026

"I fear we are careening toward a future with fewer and fewer journalists to do the expensive, difficult work of original reporting," he said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

How much can one film really change a world that seems like it’s careening faster and faster toward annihilation?

From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2026

So my announcement at the driving range caused Cade Hernandez to hook his driver badly and send his ball careening into the protective nets at the front of the parking lot.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith




Vocabulary lists containing careen


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