careen

American  

[kuh-reen] / kəˈrin /

verb (used without object)

• careens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• careened,
  past participle,  past
• careening
  present participle

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.

3. career.

4. South Midland U.S. to lean or bend away from the vertical position.

   The barn was careening a little.

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verb (used with object)

Nautical.

• careens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• careened,
  past participle,  past
• careening
  present participle

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).

3. 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.

careen British  

/ 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

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• careenage
  noun
• careener
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• careening
  present
• careened
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• careen
  simple
• careens
  simple
• have careened
  perfect
• has careened
  perfect
• am careening
  progressive
• are careening
  progressive
• is careening
  progressive
• have been careening
  perfect progressive
• has been careening
  perfect progressive

Past

• careened
  simple
• had careened
  perfect
• was careening
  progressive
• were careening
  progressive
• had been careening
  perfect progressive

Future

• will careen
  simple
• will have careened
  perfect
• will be careening
  progressive
• will have been careening
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

careen careens careened careening

It’s not a fussy place, with bright lighting and no candles, an environment in which toddlers could, in theory, careen around.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

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

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

When Jack, patrolling alone in a heavy rain, sees Robert’s speeding van careen off a mountain road, he takes possession of the loot, camouflages the crash site and celebrates having become an instant millionaire.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

If they’re released during a nuclear accident, the same neutrons that ping around inside the nuclear reactor breaking apart uranium atoms can careen through a worker’s body.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

“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

He careens down the sheet of ice at 50 miles per hour, uses one of the final turns as a launchpad, flies out of the bob run and over a ski chalet to safety.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 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

Then, as Sasha careens toward him, he cringes and climbs onto his seat.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

A 37-year-old Oxnard man was driving the vehicle at a high rate of speed when he turned to the right, ran off the roadway, slammed off a rock and careened down a cliff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 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

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

Crypto executives careened around the U.A.E. capital, dashing between a half-dozen different conferences, a “Whale Only” night at a secluded beach club, and champagne-soaked parties aboard superyachts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025

She careened along above the water, and the hovercars stayed above tree height, patiently waiting for her to run out of cover.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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

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 ● Dec. 9, 2025

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

Related Words

• lurch