veer

¹ American  

[veer] / vɪər /

verb (used without object)

1. to change direction or turn about or aside; shift, turn, or change from one course, position, inclination, etc., to another.

   The speaker kept veering from his main topic. The car veered off the road.

   Synonyms:

   diverge, swerve, deviate

2. (of the wind)

   1. to change direction clockwise (opposed to back).

   2. Nautical. to shift to a direction more nearly astern (opposed to haul).

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verb (used with object)

1. to alter the direction or course of; turn.

2. Nautical. to turn (a vessel) away from the wind; wear.

noun

1. a change of direction, position, course, etc..

   a sudden veer in a different direction.

veer ² American  

[veer] / vɪər /

verb (used with object)

Nautical.

1. to slacken or let out.

   to veer chain.

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veer ¹ British  

/ vɪə /

verb

1. to alter direction (of); swing around

2. (intr) to change from one position, opinion, etc, to another

3. (intr)

   1. (of the wind) to change direction clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern

   2. nautical to blow from a direction nearer the stern Compare haul

4. nautical to steer (a vessel) off the wind

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noun

1. a change of course or direction

veer ² British  

/ vɪə /

verb

1. (tr; often foll by out or away) nautical to slacken or pay out (cable or chain)

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Other Word Forms

• veeringly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of veer¹

First recorded in 1575–85, veer is from the Middle French word virer to turn

Origin of veer²

1425–75; late Middle English vere < Middle Dutch vieren to let out

Explanation

To veer is to make a sudden turn, like when a driver veers off the pavement or a pleasant conversation veers off in a troubling direction. When you make any quick change of direction you veer. You can veer toward an attractive person at a party, leaving your friends mid-sentence. You veer away from an oncoming truck on the highway to avoid getting crushed. Originally, veer described a change in the direction of the wind, but as you can see, today, anyone or anything that changes direction veers.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

veer

Even as someone who works in food, my first meal of the day tends to veer utilitarian, including on weekends, when I may not eat it until 10 or 11.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

"As an aide you have to ask yourself when you veer from the former into the latter."

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Even as they veer far off script, the couple maintains a commitment to traditional boiling and baking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

In fact, US President Donald Trump has himself seemed to veer between them depending on which day he is talking and who to.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

And the talk would weave, roll, surge, spurt, veer, swell, having no specific aim or direction, touching vast areas of life, expressing the tentative impulses of childhood.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• bend
• deflect
• depart
• deviate
• diverge
• divert
• drift
• pivot
• shift
• skid
• swerve
• swing
• twist
• whirl