Meaning & use
careening
Last updated
Moving swiftly and dangerously out of control, often swerving from side to side.
See it in a sentence
The runaway cart came careening down the hill toward the crowd.
Stock prices were careening downward as panic spread through the market.
A note on using this word
In American usage this sense overlaps with 'careering'; the original nautical meaning of 'careen' is to tilt a ship on its side for cleaning or repair.
Words with a similar meaning
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