careen

[ kuh-reen ]
See synonyms for careen on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. (of a vehicle) to lean, sway, or tip to one side while in motion: The car careened around the corner.

  2. (of a ship) to heel over or list.

  1. South Midland U.S. to lean or bend away from the vertical position: The barn was careening a little.

verb (used with object)Nautical.
  1. to cause (a ship) to lie over on a side, as for repairs or cleaning; heave down.

  2. to clean or repair (a ship lying on its side for the purpose).

  1. to cause (a ship) to heel over or list, as by the force of a beam wind.

noun
  1. a careening.

  2. Nautical. the position of a careened ship.

Origin of careen

1
1585–95 for def. 9; <Middle French carine<Latin carīna keel, nutshell; akin to Greek káryon nut

Other words from careen

  • ca·reen·er, noun

Words that may be confused with careen

Words Nearby careen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use careen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for careen

careen

/ (kəˈriːn) /


verb
  1. to sway or cause to sway dangerously over to one side

  2. (tr) nautical to cause (a vessel) to keel over to one side, esp in order to clean or repair its bottom

  1. (intr) nautical (of a vessel) to keel over to one side

Origin of careen

1
C17: from French carène keel, from Italian carena, from Latin carīna keel

Derived forms of careen

  • careenage, noun
  • careener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012