veer
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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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.
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(of the wind)
verb (used with object)
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to alter the direction or course of; turn.
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Nautical. to turn (a vessel) away from the wind; wear.
noun
verb (used with object)
verb
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to alter direction (of); swing around
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(intr) to change from one position, opinion, etc, to another
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(intr)
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(of the wind) to change direction clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern
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nautical to blow from a direction nearer the stern Compare haul
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nautical to steer (a vessel) off the wind
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing veer
A Long Walk to Water
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List 4
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Walk Two Moons
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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.
In response, De Veer drew attention to the career he had "long before the White Lotus", which saw him win other awards including a Bafta and a Royal Television Society Award.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025
De Veer recalled the song had “literally no edge to it,” and differed from the “dark and edgy” nature of his compositions.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025
Veer Sharma was 26 when the music stopped.
From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2024
Veer toward the latter, and you undermine the cause.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2023
Veer southwest again, and the journey brings you to the Science Museum on Exhibition Road to encounter the “gene molecule” in person.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
