careen
Americanverb (used without object)
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careens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
careened,
past participle, past
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careening
present participle
-
(of a vehicle) to lean, sway, or tip to one side while in motion.
The car careened around the corner.
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(of a ship) to heel over or list.
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South Midland U.S. to lean or bend away from the vertical position.
The barn was careening a little.
verb (used with object)
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careens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
careened,
past participle, past
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careening
present participle
-
to cause (a ship) to lie over on a side, as for repairs or cleaning; heave down.
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to clean or repair (a ship lying on its side for the purpose).
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to cause (a ship) to heel over or list, as by the force of a beam wind.
noun
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a careening.
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Nautical. the position of a careened ship.
verb
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to sway or cause to sway dangerously over to one side
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(tr) nautical to cause (a vessel) to keel over to one side, esp in order to clean or repair its bottom
-
(intr) nautical (of a vessel) to keel over to one side
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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careensimple
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careenssimple
-
have careenedperfect
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has careenedperfect
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am careeningprogressive
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are careeningprogressive
-
is careeningprogressive
-
have been careeningperfect progressive
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has been careeningperfect progressive
Past
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careenedsimple
-
had careenedperfect
-
was careeningprogressive
-
were careeningprogressive
-
had been careeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of careen
1585–95 careen for def. 9; < Middle French carine < Latin carīna keel, nutshell; akin to Greek káryon nut
Explanation
Whether it’s an unsteady ship, a speeding bus, or a person who is woozy, use the verb careen to describe something that’s teetering from side to side. When the word careen first entered the English language in the sixteenth century, it was used to describe a beached ship that was turned on its side for repair. The word can still refer to making those kinds of nautical repairs, but now you’re more likely to hear the word used to describe something that is swaying from side to side. You may feel like a ship out of control if you careen madly through a crowd or if you careen down a steep hill on skis.
Vocabulary lists containing careen
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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.
See Examples For:
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
This would lead to the creation of the Wacky Soap Box Racers, in which the makeshift cars would careen through painted facades of cartoon-ish animals cheering on the guests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 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
Two systems that could have slowed an Amazon Air flight that crashed in Miami over the weekend weren’t deployed before the plane careened off a runway and crashed into nearby vehicles, investigators said late Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
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
As the floodwaters careened through the town, Rai ran into Prasad, shirtless and crying, and urged him to get to higher ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Police were on scene Monday afternoon in Granada Hills after a Tesla driver lost control and careened into the Ali Baba Persian Restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
A moment later, with no warning at all, she turned around and careened back down the beach in the direction of camp.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
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
Despite the recent surge in interest, MLB is careening toward a labor meltdown that threatens to squander that goodwill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 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
The mare was huggable when not kicking things or careening across the prairie at a hundred miles an hour.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
