Meaning & use
careen
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitive
To rush forward in a swerving, out-of-control way, often swaying from side to side.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by a direction word: the truck careened down the hill.
Patterns
- careen down something
- careen into something
- careen off something
The shopping cart careened down the sloping parking lot.
A bus careened around the corner and nearly hit a cyclist.
The toddler careened across the kitchen floor on his new scooter.
verbtransitivetechnical
To tip a ship onto one side, usually on a beach, so that its hull can be cleaned or repaired.
Grammar: Takes an object: they careened the ship.
Patterns
- careen a ship
The crew careened the schooner on the sandy shore to scrape off the barnacles.
Sailors once careened their vessels every year to keep the hulls sound.
Word forms
| third person singular | careens |
|---|---|
| past tense | careened |
| past participle | careened |
| -ing form | careening |
Common combinations
- careen out of control
- The car careened out of control on the icy bridge.
- careen down a hill
- The wagon careened down the hill with the kids screaming happily.
- careen into a wall
- The skateboard careened into a wall and he tumbled off.
- careen off the road
- The truck careened off the road and into a ditch.
- careen from one crisis to another
- The government careened from one crisis to another all winter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swerve
- Swerve describes a sudden turn to the side, often a deliberate one, while careen suggests a longer run of uncontrolled, lurching motion.
- hurtle
- Hurtle emphasises great speed and force in a fairly straight line, whereas careen adds the wobbling or tilting.
- career
- Career is the British equivalent and means to rush wildly; careen is the more usual American choice.
Opposites
Word family
- careening adjective
- moving in a swerving, uncontrolled way
- careenage noun
- a place or cost of careening a ship (rare)
Commonly confused: careen or career?
careen vs career
As a noun career means a working life, and as a verb it means to rush wildly. Careen is the American verb for uncontrolled swerving, and many writers use the two interchangeably.
Practice
Which sentence uses careen correctly?
Choose one answer.
Careen describes wild, swerving movement, which suits a runaway truck. The other options do not involve uncontrolled motion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “careen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.