careen
Americanverb (used without object)
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(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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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
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(intr) nautical (of a vessel) to keel over to one side
Other Word Forms
- careenage noun
- careener noun
Etymology
Origin of careen
1585–95 careen for def. 9; < Middle French carine < Latin carīna keel, nutshell; akin to Greek káryon nut
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.
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
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
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
It never feels like Brooks has a grasp on the material, which careens aimlessly through Ella’s harried day-to-day in a handsomely bland, serviceable style.
From Los Angeles Times
Weeks later, heavy rains sent mud and debris careening into the canyon, burying sections of the camp in feet of dirt.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
