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 (back ).

   2. Nautical. to shift to a direction more nearly astern (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

Example Sentences

Vessels are idling at ports or veering away from the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Swiss Air jet, carrying about 150 passengers, had just landed from Geneva and was taxiing when it veered off, the paper said.

From BBC

"For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol said in a statement, without identifying the two victims in the crash.

From Barron's

"For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a concrete barrier, and became fully engulfed," the California Highway Patrol said in a statement to the BBC.

From BBC

That’s partly because the plot can veer into far-fetched territory, but also because we see the story unfold from two different viewpoints, muddling the truth.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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