careen

1 of 2

verb

ca·​reen kə-ˈrēn 

careened; careening; careens

transitive verb

1

: to put (a ship or boat) on a beach especially in order to clean, caulk, or repair the hull

2

: to cause to heel over

High waves careened the boat.

intransitive verb

1

a

: to clean, caulk, or repair the hull of a boat

b

: to undergo this process

2

: to heel over

3

: to sway from side to side : lurch

a careening carriage being pulled wildly … by a team of runaway horses

—J. P. Getty

4

: career

The car careened down the hill.

careen

2 of 2

noun

archaic

: the act or process of careening : the state of being careened

Did you know?

Careen and Career

Some people might be confused by the warning to not confuse careen and career, because the most common sense of career ("a profession") is not much like any of the meanings of careen. But when employed as a verb, career does have some semantic overlap with careen; both words may be used to mean "to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner." A car, for instance, may either careen or career. Some usage guides hold, however, that the car is only careening if there is side-to-side motion, as careen has other meanings related to movement, among which is "to sway from side to side."

Synonyms

Verb

• lurch
• pitch
• rock
• roll
• seesaw
• sway
• toss
• wobble
• wabble

Examples of careen in a Sentence

Verb

the sled careened as it barreled down the hill

he careened unsteadily to the couch after hitting his head

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The figures careen into and away from one another like clockwork and destiny at once, leading to an assembly line of experience for the nameless forms – at times brutal, illogical and dystopic. —Holly Jones, Variety, 15 June 2024

Knicks center Precious Achiuwa rejected Rockets star Jalen Green’s attempt at a go-ahead layup with 1.1 seconds left on the game clock, and the ball careened well beyond the three-point line to Houston’s Aaron Holiday, who vaulted a three towards the rim as the game clock expired. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 14 June 2024

Noun

Four editors on the film work with a vast deal of material as the movie careens across ideas, at one point incorporating animation that feels less fleshed-out than the live-action footage around it. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 June 2024

Hunt and his reluctant partner in crime Grace (Hayley Atwell) careen through Rome's narrow and ancient streets in a small Fiat. —Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

from carine side of a ship, from Middle French, submerged part of a hull, from Latin carina hull, half of a nutshell; perhaps akin to Greek karyon nut

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1583, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1712, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

careen

verb

ca·​reen

kə-ˈrēn

1

: to cause a boat to lean or tilt over on one side for cleaning or repairing

2

: to sway from side to side

3

: career entry 2